


Singles Will Be Paired

by padfootagain



Category: British Actor RPF
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2019-10-02 10:18:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17262458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/padfootagain/pseuds/padfootagain
Summary: When your friend catches the flue right before your trip to Disneyland and to Paris, you thought that you would have to enjoy the holiday season alone. That was before you were paired with a charming stranger for a ride in a rollercoaster…





	1. Charming Strangers

It was so cold, you wondered if your fingers were not going to freeze. You had travelled such a long way for going to Disneyland… and now you were freezing outside while waiting for your turn to join Hyperspace Mountain. Wonderful…

The spirit of Christmas was so pleasant though, that you could almost forget the cold as much as the long wait. You were just sad that your friend couldn’t come at the last minute. Being alone during Christmas season felt lonelier than during any other time of the year. But you had planned that trip to Disneyland and to Paris for such a long time, you couldn’t just give up on everything. No one you knew could accompany you and take your best friend’s place, but you were determined to have a great time nonetheless. Being on a trip alone didn’t mean that you couldn’t have a good time, on the contrary. You were to spend two days in Disneyland and then a whole week in Paris, you would have the time of your life.

If you didn’t freeze to death first, of course.

You stroked your hands together to get them warmer, feeling your gloves being absolutely not efficient against the cold. Wonderful…

You took a look at your surroundings once again, never tired of how beautiful the park looked like. Disneyland was always filled with magic, but it was taken to a whole new level during the Christmas season. Decorations everywhere came to complete the already magical atmosphere. It had snowed the previous day, and remnants of snow coloured with white the alleys. Children where laughing, and couples were holding hands, and everyone seemed happy and excited…

You heaved a content sigh, as you felt your phone vibrating in your pocket. You picked it up to read the name of your best friend on the screen.

“Y/N! How are you?” she asked without giving you any time to answer.

“Hello, Annie!” you laughed at the excitement in her voice. “I’m great. Waiting to get on a roller coaster right now. How are you? Are you feeling better?”

“Yeah… I can’t believe I got that flue right when we were to leave…”

“Hey, it’s not your fault! I’ll bring you back tons of souvenirs and pictures. And perhaps we can do it again together!”

“I like your optimism, Y/N. But it’s annoying sometimes.”

You laughed at her again.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” you asked again.

“It’s just a bad flue, but I’ll be fine. I’m able to stand now, so I’m slowly healing! But tell me how it is there! How’s Disneyland?”

“Looking magical!”

Your friend moaned loudly in the phone.

“I wish I was there…”

“It’s very cold though, I’m freezing. Oh, wait! I’m finally getting in the building. You have to wait for so long to get in, it’s terrible!”

You walked inside, and the warmth suddenly hit your whole frame. It felt so much better than outside. You could feel your cheeks being less numb already, your fingers finding back their sensations.

“Where are you right now?” you friend asked you.

“Space Mountain. Or well, Hyperspace mountain, I think they renamed it… according to the map, at least.”

“I hate you! I wanted to do this one so much!”

“I know… don’t be sad!”

Your eyes travelled across the hall, and settled onto the sign in the hall. Besides indicating how tall children had to be to get a ride, there was another rule…

_Singles would be paired_

You couldn’t help but giggle in the phone, and you read the rule out loud to your friend.

“I hope I don’t get paired with someone who’s gonna throw up!” you told Annie. “Or to an old man who’s gonna have a heart attack!”

You recognized the mischief in the way your friend cleared her throat in the blink of an eye.

“Or perhaps you’ll be paired with your prince charming…”

You rolled your eyes.

“Annie…”

“What? It’s Disneyland! It’s a magical place! If you want to find your prince charming, this is _the_ place!”

“I don’t want to find a prince charming!”

“You want to find love, that’s the same bloody thing!”

“No, it’s not!”

“Perhaps you’ll be paired with a handsome young man who is not going to mind losing an ear during the ride by your side. If he’s French it’s even better. I’ve always wondered if the legends about their kisses were true, you could be my guinea pig…”

“Annie! Stop it!” you laughed. “I’m not going to be paired with a handsome young man. And I won’t be your guinea pig.”

“Just saying that you would be stupid to miss an opportunity if you were to be paired with a charming young man, no matter his nationality…”

“You know what? You should go back to bed and rest. I’m going to hang up now, bye Annie!”

“Y/N, wait…”

But you didn’t let her finish and hung up anyway, an amused smile on your face. Your friend was ridiculous, but the funniest all the same.

A charming young man? _Prince charming_?! Ha! That was ridiculous!

You finally arrived at the end of the line, and waited for the employee to tell you to get inside the roller coaster. Indeed, you had to wait for another single person to arrive to get in. But only a family had to go before a lonely stranger approached.

The lights were quite dim, but nonetheless, you were able to distinguish that he was handsome. Dark hair falling before dark eyes. A short beard colouring his pale cheeks. A shy but genuine small smile painted on his lips…

For a moment, you wanted to call back Annie to inform her that she might not have been so far from the truth when she had announced that you would be joined by prince charming.

You exchanged a smile with this charming stranger, unable to look away from his eyes until it was finally time for you to get a ride. You climbed inside the tiny wagon, lowering the bannister when Charming Stranger had sit down as well, and the two of you exchanged another smile.

“Have you done this before?” he asked softly as the wagon slowly advanced through the dark.

“Never. You?”

“No, never.”

“I promise I won’t throw up on you. But my friends always say that I’m loud in this kind of roller coasters, so… sorry if you get deaf from one ear because of me.”

He let out a bright wave of laughter, the kind of contagious laughs that made a smile appear on other people’s lips.

“I might scream too, so that’s fine. And I won’t throw up either, don’t worry.”

“Thank goodness, I was scared to be put with a stranger who would throw up on me easily.”

The wagon started to gain some speed, and you both fell silent. It was dark but some flashing lights blinded you from time to time.

When you reached the scariest part of the roller coaster, you tried to grab the bannister before you for support, but you rested your hand on Charming Stranger’s instead. He didn’t push you away when you grabbed his hand, and on the contrary he let go of the bannister to take your hand as well, and you both shouted as you felt yourselves falling with the speed of the wagon. And none of you let go of each other’s hand before it was all over and the wagon was slowing down again.

When you finally hopped out of the wagon at the end of the roller coaster, your heart was still pounding in your chest, but the rush of adrenaline was more than welcome. You exchanged a smile with Charming Stranger, and you walked outside together.

“Thank you for not throwing up on me,” you smiled. “How’s your ear?”

“I beg your pardon? I can’t hear anything,” he joked, making you giggle.

“I said ‘How’s your ear’? you asked again louder, struggling not to laugh.

He chuckled, before nodding reassuringly.

"Still functioning, no worries.”

He put on a Christmas hat, and you grinned at the sight. Now that you were out in the sun, you could take a better look at his features, and your verdict was still the same. He was _very_ handsome… There was something warm and reassuring that oozed from him as well, something kind and sweet that made you want to stay by his side for a little longer. But he cleared his throat, eventually.

“Well, I hope you have a nice time here,” he smiled kindly.

“You too. And merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas.”

You both walked in different directions, soon swallowed by the crowd around you.

But you couldn’t help but turn around one last time in search for him, although he had already disappeared.

And he did the same for you…

——————————————————————

“Jack, stop apologizing!”

“You’re on your own at Christmas in Disneyland, it’s depressing, Ben!”

“Depressing, depressing… not _that_ depressing!”

Ben was caught in another long line to get in a roller coaster. But at least he was inside the building, which meant that he wasn’t freezing to death, so he couldn’t find a way to complain.

“Let’s see the bright side then, you may meet someone there…” Jack cautiously added.

Ben rolled his eyes. His last break-up had been hard to deal with. Not that he held grievances against his ex, not really. He understood that it was hard to deal with the distance and the many travels he had to go through as an actor. But he loved his job, it was such an important part of his life, he reckoned that the right person for him would understand it and embrace it as a part of him. His ex was just not the right person for him. Nevertheless, he had suffered a great deal at the end of this relationship, and he had needed a long while to get over it. Since he had started to show signs of improvement, his brother had tried to find him dates. Which was both sweet and terribly annoying…

“Jack! I don’t want to meet anyone!” Ben laughed his remark away.

“Come on! I’m sure they pair you up in those things, right? Perhaps you’ll find a nice stranger…”

Ben couldn’t help but smile at the memory of you. A couple of hours had gone by since you had both shared this seat in the wagon, and yet… yet he couldn’t find a way to stop thinking about you. He had caught himself looking for your face through the crowds full of strangers. He didn’t know why. He had never done this before. It was all too ridiculous, he knew nothing of you, he didn’t even know your name. Perhaps you were even married. What was happening to him?

He hadn’t even noticed that he hadn’t replied to his brother, and before his silence, Jack knew that Ben was hiding something.

“You did meet someone!” he almost shouted into the phone.

“No, I didn’t,” Ben rolled his eyes again.

“You did!”

“Jack, shut up!”

“You met someone! How is she? What’s her name?”

“I… I didn’t really meet her anyway, we just got paired for a ride and… there’s nothing into it really. There’s nothing more to say.”

“What was she like?!” Jack insisted.

“She… she was quite… nice,” Ben stuttered, feeling his cheeks blushing. “Quite… huh… charming, actually.”

“Charming?! And what is the name of this charming stranger?”

“I have no idea.”

“Ben! Are you serious? You meet a lovely stranger who seems to be alone in Disneyland right before Christmas as well, and you don’t ask for her name?! No wonder you’re still single…”

“Hey! I’m the big brother here, I’m the one to give you this kind of snarky remarks!”

“You’d better ask for her name the next time you see her.”

“What makes you think that I’ll see her again? It’s huge around here, you know? I’ll probably never see her again…”

But his voice died out, caught in his throat when he recognized your scarf and then your hair and…

… there were no doubts to have, it was you indeed, standing just a few meters before him, waiting in the line just like him.

A smile crossed his features as the thought of being paired with you again crossed his mind. After all, there were two families between him and you, so you would surely be together again… But what if someone else needed to be paired before you?

“Ben? Are you still here? Have you been trampled by a group of kids heading to see Mickey?”

“She’s here,” Ben breathed.

“What?”

“She’s here. The woman I was paired with, she’s right in front of me, waiting in the queue…”

“You have to talk to her.”

“What? No, I mean… She will probably not even remember me!”

“It was today, of course she will remember you!”

“It’s not a good idea…”

“It’s a brilliant idea. It’s a sign, Ben! Go and talk to her. Ask her if she wants to be paired with you again. And then, try to make some conversation. AND ASK FOR HER NAME, MORON!”

Ben had to put the phone away from his ear because of his brother’s shouting, but he reckoned that Jack was right. He had to stop asking himself so many questions about everything. You looked like a nice person, and he had nothing to lose. He was not asking for more than to spend a bit more time with you, that was all. In the worst case, you were married, and he would soon find out, and he could still enjoy the ride with you. So why was he so nervous at the idea of talking to you again?

“Ben? Are you still here?”

“Yeah, yeah… I’m here.”

“Go. Get. Her. Number.”

Ben slowly nodded, taking a deep breath to summon his courage.

“You know what… I’ll call you again later, Jack.”

“Sure! Or you know what? Don’t call me at all and spend some time with this charming stranger of yours. What are you still doing here on the phone! Hang up and GO!”

This time Ben did listen to his brother and he ended the call, before apologizing and walking through the line to reach you.

He stood still for a few seconds right behind you, looking at you and wondering what he could say without looking like a creep. But his mind was blank and he mentally slapped himself for it.

“Hello again.”

You turned around quickly as you recognized his voice, and you couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Charming Stranger standing right behind you.

“Hi!” you grinned up at him.

“It’s funny we meet again.”

“Yes! I… hmm…”

You both stared at each other for a moment, wondering what to say, and feeling both happy and uncomfortable to be around each other again, until you both broke into laughing.

“I’m sorry, I… I just found it funny that we were meeting again, but I’ll leave you alone now,” Ben mumbled shyly, his cheeks turning crimson as he brushed a lock of his dark hair away from his eyes.

“No, no! I mean… I’m glad you came and talked to me again, I hadn’t spotted you in such a crowd. But I’m glad to see you again, so… huh… would you like to be paired with me again?”

You bit down on your lip nervously, and his smile widened at the sight. He found you adorable…

“Sure. That would be nice. And I can still hear perfectly with both ears, I should give you another shot at making me deaf.”

You both exploded with laughter.

“You clearly have a taste for danger!”

“I’ve been waiting for almost half an hour to get in a scary roller coaster, I though you knew that already.”

You couldn’t refrain another wave of laughter as you walked further in the hall. But you were a bit disappointed at the sight of so few people waiting before you… it meant little time to spend with Charming Stranger…

“Is it your first time here?” he asked with a smile.

“Yes! I was supposed to come with my best friend, but she has the flue and couldn’t come. She convinced me to go anyway without her though… so here I am!”

“I was supposed to come with my brother. But he broke his leg, so… here I am.”

“Judging by your accent, you sound like an Englishman…”

“I am English.”

“I live in London.”

“I’m from London.”

“Really!? How crazy is that!?”

You exchanged a bright grin.

“For how long are you staying here?” he asked as you advanced again.

“It’s my first day here in the park, and I’m leaving tomorrow but not to go home just yet. I’ll spend 6 days in Paris first.”

“I’m staying here tomorrow too as well.”

You were about to speak again, but it was time for the two of you to get a ride. You didn’t speak again until you could climb out of the roller coaster, and were back on your feet.

“That was scary,” Charming Stranger breathed.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course, just… Lots of adrenaline!” he laughed, resting a hand on his rushing heart.

“Where are you going next?” you asked softly, putting your gloves back on.

But he merely shrugged in response.

“I don’t know… just… walking around a bit. You?”

“I don’t know.”

You saw him hesitating, biting the inside of his cheek. But after he took a deep breath, Ben had gathered enough courage to speak again and ask you the question that burnt his tongue.

“You know, I was thinking… as I’m alone and… you’re alone,” he said quite quickly but tripping on his own words nonetheless. “Perhaps we could… stay together for the rest of the day. I mean… so we can be paired together. What do you think? At least we’re sure we won’t be paired with someone too terrible then.”

A shy smile appeared on your lips.

“So… you’re not deaf yet, huh?”

“Not in the slightest.”

You exchanged a smile.

“Well then… perhaps we could do that,” you nodded, and he smiled at how shy you looked all of a sudden.

“Wonderful! So… it’s almost one…” he went on, checking his watch. “What would you say about some food? I’m completely starving.”

You slowly nodded. A little voice in your head asked if it was a date, but you shushed the thought almost immediately. You had barely met. It was just time to eat. Nothing romantic involved. He was probably not even single…

“And by the way, I’m Ben,” he tore you away from your thoughts as he offered you his open hand.

You smiled, shaking his hand.

“Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you, Ben.”

“Are you hungry then? Or perhaps you’ve already eaten… sorry, but I’m truly going to die of starvation if I don’t find food quickly…”

“I haven’t eaten either,” you reassured him in a chuckle. “Let’s find something to eat then.”

You exchanged another smile, before walking through the crowd, but not caring for a second about the many people around you, nor the cold air that bit your skin. Instead, you merely walked aimlessly, stealing glances towards him from time to time, and on your lips, your smile matched Ben’s grin.


	2. Ugly Sweaters

You and Ben opted for hot dogs instead of sitting for a full meal. You kept on walking through the magical streets, eating and laughing. In the middle of the main lane, the snow had melted under the steps of all the visitors, only the borders and corners of the streets were still covered in white. You marvelled at the many decorations suspended through the passages, and the tall Christmas tree visible in the distance. People were taking pictures with the costumed characters of Mickey and his friends.

This charming stranger who had volunteered to be your partner for the rest of the day in Disneyland was wearing his funny Christmas hat again. A red series of ‘Ho Ho Ho’ was sewed in the white fur that decorated the red hat. You couldn’t help but smile at the sight, and Ben noticed your amused gaze.

“What? You don’t like my hat?”

“It’s both adorable and ridiculous,” you chuckled.

“Goes well with the scenery!”

“Why… you don’t like Disney and you came to Disneyland?”

He laughed.

“I love it. It’s magical. And I’m all for feeling like a kid all over again.”

“You’re not a cynical guy?”

“Not at all.”

“Good! I would have broken our contract if you were a killing-joy!”

“I love Christmas,” he went on. “I’m coming home to spend Christmas’ Eve with my family.”

“Are you staying in Paris until then?”

“I am,” he nodded. “My brother was supposed to accompany me, but he fell in the stairs a week ago and broke his leg. He can’t walk, and we reckoned that it wasn’t the best idea to come here, but he insisted that I shouldn’t waste my holidays.”

“Same for my friend, she almost forced me in this plane!”

“I have to admit that I’m quite grateful that he insisted. I’m having a great time.”

“Me too.”

You exchanged a smile, passing before a couple of shops that sold tons of souvenirs.

“What’s your favourite Disney movie?” you asked Ben out of the blue.

He shrugged, before narrowing his eyes a little.

“I can’t choose just one, that is such a cruel question! The Jungle Book is great though… perhaps that one… but I don’t know…”

“I understand you,” you chuckled.

“Do you have a favourite?”

“Mary Poppins, I think.”

He rolled his eyes.

“Of course if you bring up a cinematographic masterpiece into the fray, how can I compete?” he joked, making you laugh.

You started humming softly A Spoonful Of Sugar, and Ben soon joined you. You kept on walking and humming for a while, finishing your meal and walking through the magical little village. You explored Alice’s labyrinth before walking towards more roller coasters. And by the time you were joining another queue together, you were either laughing thanks to his jokes, either humming tunes that had followed you through your childhood.

And you had to admit that it was a very lovely afternoon that you spent with Ben. The more time flew by, the better you felt by his side, and the more you wanted this day to never end…

But eventually, the sun started to sink beyond the horizon, and lights were alit throughout the park and gave another magical touch to the whole place. Something even more magical, as lights shining through darkness always brought the brightest thoughts and hopes, after all. And right before Christmas, lights were brighter than ever…

You walked back towards the entrance of the park in a slow pace, almost reluctant, and by your side, Ben didn’t seem willing to quicken his steps. So, to make the day a little longer, you decided to have a hot chocolate before heading back to your lonely hotel rooms. The warm beverage was more than welcome with the cold weather outside. By then, you and Ben had shared a few personal details about each other, and when you had finally recognized him as an actor, you had become curious to know how the world of movie-making worked. So while you drank your hot chocolate, the conversation drifted towards cinema and Ben shared with you many funny stories he had lived on set.

“Don’t laugh at me, it was scary!” he protested as you doubled with laughter.

“You’re hilarious!” you managed to say between two waves of laughter.

Ben’s cheeks took a redder shade and you knew that it wasn’t because he was laughing too.

“I don’t know if it’s meant as a compliment or you’re just mocking me,” he joked.

“A compliment.”

You kept on laughing but Ben slowly went quiet, merely staring at you. A smile lingered on his lips as he listened to your laughter, and he couldn’t help but feel happier at the sound. He studied your features more in detail, and his smile grew fonder. Yes, you were definitely… charming. He wondered if you would accept to see him again once this day was over and you didn’t need him to get a ride in roller coasters anymore. Perhaps… he could convince you to keep this arrangement of yours for the next day.

Behind you, a family was settling at a table, and two of the children seemed particularly… excited. They were running around the table and didn’t seem to care at all about their parents’ warnings. Instead, they were playing loudly and laughing as they ran.

You finally grew quiet again, taking a sip of your hot beverage, while Ben was gathering his courage and taking a deep breath, before diving.

“Y/N… I was wondering…”

His voice was shy all of a sudden, he was stuttering a little again, and you gave him a reassuring smile, silently inviting him to continue. But he didn’t have the occasion.

As you rose your cup to your lips again, the children behind you accidentally pushed you quite roughly as they ran too fast, and you spilled hot chocolate all over your pullover…

You gasped, your eyes growing round as you watched the large brown stain left on your jumper, and you cursed under your breath.

Ben winced as he handed you his napkin.

“I’m not sure you can clean that up,” he told you with a shrug.

“Brilliant,” you mumbled angrily. “I’ll be back in a sec.”

You walked to the bathroom and tried to clean up this mess, but indeed, no matter how hard you tried to get rid of that chocolate, a large brown stain remained impregnated in the fabric. You heaved a frustrated sigh before going back to Ben’s table. You let yourself fall back on your chair.

“I only brought one more sweater with me, and it’s not as warm as this one,” you told him. “Perhaps I should buy another one. That’ll make me a souvenir.”

Ben chuckled, before enthusiastically nodding.

“Let’s go then! Before you catch a cold with that wet sweater!”

He stood up and gave you a bright smile. Looking for a jumper still meant making one more activity with you, and it might be the last time he saw you… as long as he could be with you for a little longer, he was up for anything.

And if at first you had been annoyed by the idea of searching for a sweater, now that Ben was coming with you, you were rather keen to the idea… After all, you didn’t know if he would want to see you again once you would have walked out of this place tonight.

“Doesn’t that bother you to come with me?” you asked him rather shyly, but he answered with a warm smile.

“Not at all! Anyway, it’s not as if I had better things to do! It’s that or watching crappy TV on my own, so…”

You chuckled, but stood up too, paying for your drink and following Ben to the door.

You walked down the main lane towards a shop, and once again, you welcomed the warmth inside. The shop in itself was richly decorated for Christmas as well, and many children were running here and there, excited smile on their faces. The air smelt like gingerbread and oranges. Everything felt like Christmas and magic…

You walked through the shop in search for Disney sweaters, and when you finally found some, you had to admit that you were rather disappointed.

They all looked rather ridiculous. At least, the ones available in adult sizes were. You were terribly jealous of that lightly purple sweater with a beautiful decoration reading 'May the Force be with you’ on it. Instead… you were stuck with a sweater with the head of Pluto making a very weird face. Not that you had anything against the yellow dog, but the sweater was just ugly…

Ben hummed by your side, frowning hard.

“Looks like you won’t have much of a choice,” he sighed.

“I feel terrible for these poor characters to be on such ugly sweaters…”

Ben laughed, but had to admit that you were right.

“I’ll look utterly ridiculous,” you moaned.

“Come on, it’s not so bad!”

You rose an eyebrow in surprise, before picking up a fuchsia sweater with a Mickey Mouse head upon it that looked like he was having a heart attack, and you pressed it against your torso to show him how you would look like in it. And he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yeah… that’s terrible,” he nodded.

“Poor me,” you dramatically groaned.

He gave you a bright smile, a mischievous glint alit in his eyes.

“Well, if you are doomed and have to look ridiculous for the rest of your trip, then I’ll help you feeling better!” he offered.

“And how do you intend to do that?” you asked back with an amused smile.

“I’ll buy the ugliest sweater I can find too,” he answered matter-of-factly.

You exploded with laughter.

“No, I can’t let you bring this on yourself, Ben! That’s very generous, but that’s too terrible!”

“I won’t let you feel miserable about yourself. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time people laugh at me. Being an actor, I came at peace with that idea a long time ago.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am! But then, we need to find the most hideous ones…”

He looked through the sweaters and picked up an ugly green one with Pluto wearing a santa hat and making a very weird face that was supposed to look like he was happy, but looked more like he was a psychopath and was about to try to kill you…

“That will go with my hat, don’t you think?” he asked with a laugh.

He chose the right size, before trying it on and putting his one Christmas hat as well. You couldn’t help but laugh.

“You look dashing!” you laughed.

“I know,” he nodded, unable to stop a smile to cross his face. “Which one do you pick?”

You looked at the fuchsia sweater you were still holding.

“I guess that one is horrid enough, don’t you think?” you smiled at him.

“Good choice,” he nodded, taking off the sweater and the hat again.

You chuckled, looking fondly at Ben, and you didn’t think about the words you spoke as they passed your lips.

“You’re one of a kind, Ben. You really are adorable.”

His cheeks and ears turned crimson in the blink of an eye, and he clumsily ran a hand through his jet-black hair.

“What would your boyfriend say if he heard you compliment another guy like that,” he joked his way out.

But your voice was more serious as you replied.

“I don’t have a boyfriend, so we’re in the clear.”

You intensely stared at each other for a moment, and you lost yourself in his dark brown eyes. You studied their colour for a while, feeling like the whole universe had shrunk around you. And for a while, there was nothing but these two dark eyes in the whole world. You realized that they came closer to you, but didn’t make a movement to walk away again. Instead, you took a step towards them as well. Only when you could feel Ben’s nearness did you finally realize how close he now was to you. He didn’t try to lean down towards your lips, although you saw his eyes jump down to settle upon them for a moment. He gave you a warm smile instead, and your heart skipped a beat. You noticed that his breathing wasn’t quite even anymore, and your own breath matched his. It felt like being under some kind of spell that prevented you from looking away, from moving away… or for even wanting to do so. But you barely knew him, how could you share that kind of moment already?

You forced yourself to look away, and it seemed that you needed such an amount of strength to finally tear your eyes away from his face.

Eventually, you cleared your throat and proposed to go paying for the sweaters. Ben followed you without a word, but with a smile and flushed cheeks.

Now having a very ugly pair of sweaters, you and Ben both walked back into the cold of winter, slowly advancing towards the gates of the park. A comfortable silence had settled between the two of you, but you hadn’t made proper eye-contact since that moment you had shared in the shop. You didn’t feel uncomfortable around him because of it though, just… apprehensive. You were just a little scared that you would never see him again.

And Ben didn’t dare to speak. He was scared that you would never want to see him again after tonight. He felt angry against himself for letting himself be drown to you so easily. He shouldn’t have walked so close to you. What had happened in his head?!

You had happened. It was pretty clear. He just couldn’t help it, the way he felt attracted towards you, as a comet pulled by gravity towards a sun.

You reached the large gates and walked out, still in silence, until it was time for you to part and go back to your hotel rooms. Ben waited for you to speak first.

“Well… thank you for today. It was great,” you shyly smiled.

“I had a lovely day thanks to you,” he nodded.

“And thank you for sharing some sweater-shame with me,” you joked, making him chuckle.

“No problem.”

“Well… I guess… it means goodbye then,” you gave him a warm smile.

He nodded slowly. He wanted to ask for your number. He wanted to ask you to see him again. He wanted…

But his words didn’t match his wishes.

“Goodbye, Y/N.”

You slowly nodded, before slowly turning around. You started to walk away through the night, the road lightened by lampposts and Christmas lights.

He could hear his brother’s words already, speaking a truth he didn’t want to hear.

_Ben, you moron! You should have asked to see her again!_

And he mentally slapped himself for being such an idiot. Jack would be right. Ben liked you. He wanted to spend more time with you. He hadn’t felt this way in ages. If he let you go now, he knew he would regret it for years.

“Y/N!”

You froze, before slowly turning back towards Ben, who was already hurrying after you. Soon, he was standing by your side again.

“What about we spend tomorrow together too?” he asked in a rush, his nerves getting the best of him. “I mean… we’re still alone here, right? And I can still hear with both ears…”

You let out a laugh, before nervously touching your hair.

“What would your girlfriend say if you spent two days in Disneyland with another woman?” you half-joked.

But he answered with a large smile.

“I don’t have a girlfriend, so we’re in the clear.”

You stared at each other in silence for a moment. Until your smile widened into a grin.

“I’d love to spend tomorrow with you, Ben,” you whispered.

You both felt your cheeks heating up and let out a shy chuckle.

“Let’s meet here tomorrow morning then, when the park opens,” he proposed.

You nodded in agreement.

“I’ll be here,” you promised.

“Good night, then, Y/N,” he grinned.

“Good night, Ben.”

This time, he didn’t stop you when you walked away. He didn’t need to. Instead, he threw his fist through the air and towards the sky in a sign of victory.

He would see you again tomorrow…


	3. More Than A Little

****

“Oh my God, I told you! He’s fucking Prince Charming!”

You laughed at your friend, and were happy that she couldn’t see you as you felt your face heating up.

“He’s not. But he was quite a… charming stranger.”

“Charming stranger! YES!”

“Stop being so excited, would you?”

“Never! This is brilliant! Here you are in Paris, enjoying a weekend in Disneyland right before Christmas… that’s a sign! It’s the magic of these three things mixed together that created this Christmas miracle that took the form of Charming Stranger…”

“His name is Ben, and he is normal.”

“Charming Stranger sounds much better. But you didn’t send me a picture of this sweater of yours! Nor a picture of him, actually…”

“SHUT UP!”

You sent your best friend a picture of your ugly sweater, and you heard her make a disgusted sound.

“The little devils…” she went on, talking about the children who had caused you to drop your hot chocolate on your sweater. “Forcing you to wear this… thing…”

You laughed.

“It’s not that bad. And Ben bought himself an ugly jumper too to make me feel better.”

“Awww… it’s adorable!” she spoke in a high-pitched tone.

“Stop it,” you begged.

“What I don’t understand though, is why you didn’t ask him if you could have dinner together tonight. I mean, you’re both alone…”

“We’ll see each other tomorrow, Annie. Relax. I barely know him after all, and… I don’t want to look like I’m desperate or something.”

“You’re right. Keep him on his toes.”

“No, Annie!” you heaved a sigh. “That’s not what I meant either. Besides… I don’t think I have such an effect on him.”

“He ran after you to ask to see you again, Y/N. You _do_ have this effect on him.”

“Do you really think that he could see me… like that?”

“Y/N. You’re single. He’s single. He wants to spend his whole day with you. Of course, he sees you _this way_!”

A grin formed on your lips without you being able to control it.

Because after all, you did hope that he saw you this way.

———————————————————–

“I can’t believe that you still don’t have her number.”

“I’m seeing her again tomorrow. And it’s not what you think.”

“It’s not what I think, huh?”

“Jack, shut up.”

“I’m not shutting up, Ben,” his brother replied. “You’re finally having a crush on someone, it’s my job to make sure that you’re not wasting this opportunity.”

“I’m not having a crush!”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You are, Ben. We’ve been on the phone for a half an hour and for all this time, you’ve only been talking about her. You’re in Disneyland and you haven’t talked about Disneyland at all yet, only about that girl. So, Ben… you do have a crush on her.”

Ben tried to find an argument against his brother, but failed miserably.

“Right… perhaps I like her a little.”

“A little?”

“Can’t you drop it?”

“Right, right… Well, tomorrow, at the end of your date, don’t forget to ask for her number.”

“It’s not a date.”

“Of course… I need to go. Mom and dad have made dinner. And get her number!”

Before Ben could reply, his brother had hung up. Ben let out a sigh before turning the TV on. He looked through the French channels until he found BBC News. But he didn’t listen to anything the journalists say. He looked at the ugly jumper he had bought with you, a soft smile forming on his lips.

Perhaps he did like you… a little…

——————————————————————-

You hurried towards the large gates. It was still rather early in the morning, but the sun already rising, and the lampposts and Christmas lights were not shining anymore. Your breath drew strange forms of smoke in the cold air as you hurried down the lane. You couldn’t wait to see Ben again.

You searched for him through the crowd, your eyes scanning every face and a feeling of disappointment weighing your heart every time you realized the stranger before you wasn’t him.

For a moment, you thought he wasn’t there. Perhaps he hadn’t arrived yet. Or perhaps… perhaps he wouldn’t come. Perhaps he had thought it through during the night, and had changed his mind about you and…

But you recognized his ridiculous and adorable Christmas hat in the blink of an eye, and relief washed over you as you hurried towards Ben.

He welcomed you with a bright smile.

“Good morning, Y/N!” Ben merrily greeted you. “Ready to take another chance at making me deaf?”

“More than ready,” you chuckled. “I’ve rested my voice last night, I’m up for the challenge!”

“Then let’s find that out!”

You laughed as you walked together through the large gates.

“Are you proudly wearing your ugly sweater?” he asked with a crooked smile filled with mischief.

“I am!” you nodded, pulling on your sleeve to show the fuchsia fabric. “I don’t really have a choice, anyway. And I guess that as long as I’m here, I don’t look too stupid. That’ll be another story when I visit Paris though…”

“Well, if it can reassure you… I’m breaking just as many rules of fashion as you today.”

He opened his warm coat enough for you to recognize the Pluto sweater he had bought the previous evening with you, and you both laughed.

“That’s adorable!” you thanked him. “I don’t feel so bad anymore.”

“I knew you would like it.”

He paused for a few seconds, before going on in a lower tone.

“You still look stunning with this sweater though.”

You looked up at him but he held your gaze, giving you a little smirk tainted with flirt, and you let out a chuckle.

“You don’t look that bad yourself, even with the Christmas hat.”

“Thanks,” he smirked with a wink, making you giggle.

You walked in the park together, letting yourselves be guided by the crowd passing the gate. And while you advanced through the main street, you didn’t feel the need to speak. Somehow, just by being by your side, Ben was making you feel calmer. Somehow you felt better when he was around.

You visited the other side of the park, before spending some time buying souvenirs. Which meant that Ben and you both tried on the most ridiculous pieces of clothing you could find. Ben settled to buy for himself a pair of Mickey Mouse ears and you bought a pair of Minnie ears as well, so you walked out of the shop with matched costumes. You bought souvenirs for your family and friends, and Ben did just the same, and for the end of the afternoon, as you had went through all the roller coasters, you merely walked together for a while. Until you came across Darth Vader, and you excitedly took a picture with him. A family waited for their turn while you took a picture of Ben as well, but the mother of the family made you a kind offer when you were about to leave.

“If you want, I’ll take a picture of you and your boyfriend.”

You and Ben both chuckled nervously in response.

“We’re fine,” you answered, shaking your head.

You felt Ben staring intensely at you. He was hesitating. He didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable, he didn’t mean to go too far… but on the other hand, how could a picture do any harm?

“Actually, that’d be very kind, thank you,” Ben nodded, handing the woman his phone and softly pulling you back towards the disguised Sith.

You paused next to him, a stupid smile on your lips. Ben had wrapped an arm around your shoulders and was holding you close to him, but he wasn’t pressing you against him, and you knew that if you wanted to, you could easily break free. And you felt so safe next to him…

The picture was taken too quickly, and Ben let you go only too soon. You surprised yourself longing to stay there, safely held against him again. His nearness was making your heart beat faster. And when Ben turned to you again, you still had this stupid smile on your lips. But you didn’t mind. You recognized the same euphoric and yet shy look on Ben’s face.

“Hope you don’t mind that I did that,” he asked as you walked away again.

“No, no… it's… it’s fine.”

“After all, we’ve spent our entire stay here together, so I thought… Why not keep a souvenir of you as well?”

You let out a chuckle.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

You saw Ben biting on his lower lip in hesitation, but he eventually asked in an innocent tone the question that tingled his tongue.

“Do you want that picture? I can send it to you, if you want to keep it?”

You shrugged at first, not really realizing what he was truly asking for at first.

“If you want,” you smiled.

“Right. Huh… I’ll send you a text, if you want.”

You looked up at him, before exploding with laughter.

“Was that a way to ask for my number?”

“Ask for your number…?”

You expected from him to play it cool and to either deny it all or joke about it. But instead, he answered earnestly, taking you aback.

“Actually, that’s exactly what I was attempting to do. I thought it was a smooth way to bring it up. Did it work?”

You didn’t answer at first. You looked up at him, trying to read through his dark eyes. Your gaze lingered on the freckle under his right eye, before it would finally settle on these two infinite brown orbs.

But in his eyes, you could only read something soft, almost tender as he stared back at you. What did you risk anyway? He would probably never call you once you and him would be back to your lives…

You gave him an amused smile. What were the risks? He was kind and respectful and funny… a real gentleman so far. You had already spent two days with him, why not give him your number?

You offered him your open hand and nodded towards his phone, that he had not yet put back in his pocket.

“It was rather smooth,” you giggled, and his smile turned into a grin as he put his phone in your hand, so you could enter your number.

“I’m not that bad at flirting, huh?”

“Now, now… don’t get ahead of yourself.”

You both laughed, and you entered your number in his phone, before handing the device back to him.

“I am merely speaking the truth! It worked, didn’t it?” he replied with a teasing tone.

“I hadn’t noticed that you were flirting,” you replied with humour in your voice. “Besides… I thought you just wanted to send me this picture.”

“Perhaps I should make my intentions plainer then…”

You stared at each other for a moment, before you felt your cheeks going too warm, and you looked away. Ben’s ears turned crimson, and his confidence cracked for a moment, as he mumbled under his breath

“Unless you don’t want me to. Then we can just… forget all this happened.”

You slowly shook your head.

“No need to forget about that, Ben. After all… maybe I should give you a chance to get better at flirting.”

Ben grinned, but you didn’t wait for an answer to walk down the street again. You didn’t want him to see that you were grinning too…

————————————————————————

Your eyes drifted again towards the bright lights outside. The pale lights of the stars from up above mingled with the more vivid Christmas lights that coloured the street with red, yellow, green and blue sparks. You were eager to witness the illumination of the Castle at the closing of the park tonight. Ben was joining you, of course. But despite the prospect of a magical show, the idea that you would probably have to bid farewell to your Charming Stranger put a weight on your heart. And as the thought crossed your mind again, the lights outside didn’t seem so bright anymore…

You were mad at yourself for acting like a desperate romantic all of a sudden? Since when were you a desperate romantic? Never. And Ben was… like this place. Beautiful. Magical. But you would leave him the next day and he would turn into a memory as well. The magic that this place brought would disappear after midnight, like a carriage turning back into a pumpkin. Now, you could feel how disappointed Cinderella was at midnight. Life was definitely easier with a little bit of magic.

“Are you alright?”

The sound of Ben’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts, and you turned to him again.

“Of course!” you nodded with a smile.

“You seem… far away,” he went on, tilting his head to the side a little.

“I was just thinking.”

Ben decided that it was best to drop the subject, and he let you pick up the conversation again. And if it was tempting to keep a light tone for what would certainly be your last evening together, your curiosity got the best of you… once again.

“So… when was your last relationship?” you asked out of the blue.

Ben choked on the water he had been drinking as you spoke, and coughed loudly.

“Well… that was pretty direct,” he laughed.

“Sorry… you… you don’t have to answer that,” you apologized, realizing that your question was too personal and asked in such a clumsy fashion.

After all, Ben’s love life was none of your business…

He had asked for your number earlier that afternoon though… so perhaps it was a bit your business.

“It’s okay,” Ben chuckled. “I didn’t expect that kind of question, that’s all. But if you want to know I…”

“You really don’t have to answer that. It was out of line.”

He gave you a reassuring and almost mischievous smile.

“I don’t mind telling you,” he went on. “I was with someone for over a year. But we… we weren’t meant for each other. I didn’t deal with the breakup well though. It’s been a little less than a year since we… agreed that it was best to continue on separate paths.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

But Ben shrugged.

“I had feelings for her, so it made things rather hard for me and I struggled to move on. But we didn’t part as enemies. We both agreed that… my life and hers weren’t compatible.”

“What do you mean?” you asked with a frown.

“With my job I spend a lot of time travelling. And she wanted someone who had more time for her than what I could manage with my job. It became rather clear that she wanted me to choose between her and my career, that I couldn’t have both. So… I chose.”

You slowly nodded.

“I need someone who is more… independent than her. You see what I mean?” Ben went on. “Of course, I want to be with someone and spend time with this person, but… I need someone who will understand that I also have a part of my life that will require for me to be away.”

“I see what you mean,” you nodded, giving him a warm smile. “And so… that was your last relationship?”

Ben nodded, taking a sip of water.

“What about you?”

“Me?” you asked back with an amused smile.

“Well… you’re the one who started with the personal questions…”

“Fair enough!” you chuckled. “But there’s not much to say, really. I haven’t been in a relationship in ages.”

“Why not?”

You shrugged.

“Didn’t find any nice guy that I liked enough, I guess.”

“I’m glad you’re not looking for a bad guy, that’s really not me at all, and I wouldn’t have stood a chance, then.”

“Now, now… trying to flirt again?”

He gave you a crooked smile.

“Trying to improve, as you requested.”

“Nice try,” you chuckled.

“Should I fear the revenge of an ex who happened to be a bad guy and made you change your mind about men, though?”

You let out a bright laugh.

“No, not at all.”

“Good to know.”

You both exchanged a smile, but yours faltered quickly, and you nervously played with your napkin. Ben frowned.

“Y/N… what’s going on? You’ve been acting weird. Am I… making you feel uncomfortable?”

“No, of course you’re not. I’m just… What’s going to happen tomorrow?”

Ben cleared his throat.

“I… Well, I have your number,” he answered slowly, his tone cautious and serious this time. “I thought that I could call you, and perhaps we could… see each other again.”

“Will you really do that? Or are you the kind of guy who never calls a woman back?”

He gave you a reassuring smile.

“I am not the kind of guy who never calls a woman back.”

“Really?”

He nodded, and you saw him taking a sharp intake of breath before asking you his next question.

“But if you still have doubts, then… I mean… perhaps I could ask you for a date. What about tomorrow night?”

You frowned hard.

“I won’t be back in London tomorrow, I’m staying in Paris for a week.”

“My brother and I were supposed to stay in Paris for four days more. So… I’ll be here too, actually. Tomorrow.”

His heart speeded up as he watched you smile, and called himself a fool for reacting this way to you. But his smile was tender when he smiled back at you.

He definitely liked you more than a little…

“So… what do you say?”

“I say…”

But you stopped mid-sentence, and a mischievous glint lightened in your eyes.

“Are you alone for the rest of your trip as well?”

“Huh… Yes. I was supposed to be with my brother.”

“Well… What about we extend that contract of ours, then?”

He gave you the brightest grin.

“Now… that sounds like a plan,” he nodded.

“What about… we meet at the Eiffel Tower tomorrow morning, nine o'clock. What do you say?”

“I say that I’d love that.”

You exchanged a shy smile.

You hated to admit it, but Annie was right. You liked him. And more than a little…

—————————————————————

The crowd was rather dense but filled with joy and excitement. Children were carried by their parents so they would have a better view of the pink Castle. Next to you, Ben was growing colder, blowing some warm air in his hands, and several times readjusting his Christmas hat on his head.

“I’m warning you though, I’m not walking through the streets of Paris with you if you wear that thing on your head,” you joked.

“I thought it was part of my charms!”

“No, it really isn’t.”

“Don’t act like the Grinch!”

You couldn’t help but laugh.

His gaze grew tender as he watched you laughing, and for some reason, he wanted to tell you. He wanted to let you know that he felt like the two of you were connected somehow, that there was something strange that had awoken in his heart at the mere sight of you. That he had spent the night thinking of you, that your voice was all he could hear through his dreams the prior night… That he had never felt this way before, and he wanted to have a chance to be more to you than this stranger who had spent two days with you at Disneyland.

“Y/N… I wanted to tell you,” he breathed, and the intensity in his eyes and the softness in his deep voice made your heart speed up in your ribcage.

But he was interrupted as children started to cheer, the Castle slowly starting to shine with so many lights…

You both turned towards the Castle, but Ben didn’t focus upon the magical spectacle in front of you for more than a few seconds before turning towards you again, leaning down to whisper in your ear

“I like you, Y/N. I really do like you.”

You smiled up at him.

“I like you too, Ben,” you breathed, making him grin.

And when you both focused on the glimmering Castle again, he wrapped his fingers around yours, and for the rest of the evening, until you parted to get back to your hotel rooms, you held hands…


	4. La Vie En Rose and Göttinghen

You felt like a teenager all over again.  
What was happening to you?  
You knew perfectly well what was happening, although you refused to face the truth: Charming Stranger had happened.  
For the tenth time, you checked your clothes in the mirror before you. You couldn’t possibly wear this ugly jumper anymore. After all, you took today as a date, you needed to impress him.   
You snorted at your own thoughts. Impress him? He had already seen you in that horrible jumper, you had crushed his fingers while you were scared, you had partially annihilated his hearing because of your terrified shouts… not to mention the whole incident with the hot chocolate…  
You put on your coat and scarf, grabbed your bag and closed the door of your hotel room behind you. It was time to go. You would need some time to go to the Eiffel Tower and you didn’t want to be late. Although… perhaps you were worrying a little too much about this date. Since when did you even care about men, huh?  
You walked in the elevator with a determined expression on your face. You would have a nice time in Paris, and spending some time with Ben was only a bonus. Or not even a bonus. You didn’t care. Yes! You didn’t care about what he thought of you. You had not crossed the sea to find love but to relax and enjoy some magical and well-deserved holidays.  
You walked through the hall crowded with tourists speaking many different languages that you didn’t understand. Right before you pushed the glass door opened, you looked at the mirror on your right. And before you exited the hotel, you checked your reflection one last time…  
—————————————————–  
Ben was way too nervous.  
Why was he so nervous? He felt like a teenager waiting for his first date all over again.   
What was happening to him?  
He knew perfectly well what was happening, although he refused to face the truth: you had happened.  
He checked his watch again, shivering in the cold winter wind. He was ten minutes early…  
Actually, he had been waiting for around fifteen minutes already. He had been so scared to be late that he had wildly underestimated the power of Paris’ subway. So now, he was standing still, right under the Eiffel tower, freezing to death but not really minding the cold, as he was way too nervous to care about such futile things. He had a tight knot in his throat and his stomach felt all strange…  
A small smile formed on his lips. He knew he was being ridiculous to feel this way, and yet, he couldn’t help it. It was all your fault.  
He looked around him, through the crowd that hurried to and fro. It blocked Ben’s view towards the Champ de Mars and the long avenues that boarded the passage. On his left and right, the metallic feet of the tall tower were bathed with tall trees, and in the distance, he could even see people relaxing under the sun near two little ponds. He turned around, his gaze passing over the bridge of Iéna to settle on the building he guessed in the distance, his sight crossing the Seine to reach the Trocadéro. It had rained during the night, and the ground was still slightly glimmering under the pale sun. The town had a particular scent that Ben had not met anywhere else in the world. It smelled sweet, familiar and welcoming and yet he knew he had never smelled anything quite like it before. It reminded him of the scent of his parent’s garden during summer storms. He failed at defining the smell, but he didn’t mind. It felt good anyways.  
He filled his lungs with this peculiar scent before turning around again, his dark eyes scanning the crowd in search for your face. He sniffed while a few feet away, a musician was settling down, taking out a saxophone and shuffling in his bag in search for a warm hat. A few seconds later, he was starting to play, the hat dropped before his feet to invite the passing crowd to give him a coin or two.  
Something caught his attention, a tiny detail in the crowd, or perhaps was it more of a feeling or something at the corner of his eyes…  
He turned towards the distant Trocadéro again, and his eyes needed no more than a second to find yours.  
Behind him, the trumpetist had started to play the soft and yet happy melody of La Vie En Rose.  
God, did it sound cliché… A musician playing that famous song to satisfy some stupid tourists’ fantasy about Paris. The Eiffel Tower literally towering you. The distant roaring of traffic shushed by the music, the pale sun of December glimmering on the concrete still drenched from the rain of the previous night, how he looked stunning in his dark warm coat and his hair messed by the soft wind, your eyes meeting and locking and unable to part again…  
God, it did sound cliché.  
As you walked to join him under the large monument, you couldn’t find a way to care though. Because perhaps it was cliché, but it felt so good…  
The closer you were to him, the brighter your smiles to both you and Ben became. And when you finally reached him, you were both grinning like idiots.  
It took the two of you a few seconds to be able to speak… or even breathe, actually. You were staring at each other, and it felt like the crowd around you had disappeared. Of the whole world only remained the melody of La Vie En Rose, the sweet smell of Paris and the two of you.  
“Hi,” Ben let out in a breath.  
“Hi.”  
You both shied away a little, chuckling and giggling uncomfortably, and yet your eyes never left his.   
“You…”  
He fell silent again, and you silently encouraged him to go on. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before being able to speak the words he longed to let out. His heart was beating so fast, he could barely breathe at all. Yet, he found out that the knot in his throat had disappeared and the feeling in his stomach had turned into butterflies.  
“You look… breathtaking.”  
Your entire face felt on fire, and you blamed the cold for it, although you knew that it was all Ben’s fault.  
“You…” you tried to answer but the words wouldn’t come.  
Ben raised an eyebrow, apparently amused.  
“I?” he invited you to pursue.  
“You… you look… okay.”  
He nodded, although you could see that he was… disappointed? No, disappointed was not the right word. Fragile. Fragile was better at describing the look in his eyes as he let his stare fall from your gaze to the tip of his dark shoes.  
“Thanks,” he mumbled.  
You closed your eyes, wincing as you mentally cursed yourself. Your mind was still struggling to function though, and you forced your brain to create thoughts again.  
“I mean…”  
You started to laugh. A nervous laugh that turned in a merry one, and Ben looked up at you again, a tender smile back on his lips.  
“I’m sorry,” you went on, feeling your brain slowly going back to normal. “You… You’re very handsome, I’m just… kind of a mess, I guess. But you are… you are much more than ‘okay’, you are like… like so much more than 'okay'…”  
It was his turn to laugh… at you.  
“You are sinking and sinking, you should stop talking,” he mocked, and you playfully slapped his shoulder.  
You took a moment to look around you, taking in the beautiful sight, until Ben offered you his open hand.  
“Shall we go up there?” he asked, looking up at the iron tower above you, before setting his warm eyes back on yours.  
You nodded.  
“Let’s go, then!”  
You slipped your fingers in his palm and he closed his hand upon yours. His long fingers wrapped around yours, a little calloused against the soft skin of the back of your hand. You walked together across the crowd to climb up the Eiffel Tower, and all this time, your two hearts were beating so fast…  
You paid for your tickets and climbed to the first floor. Silently, you walked around, watching through the glass walls the long line of the Champ de Mars stretching towards l'Ecole Militaire. People were lazily walking across it, tiny silhouettes already at such altitude. Towards the inside of the tower, you looked down at where you had stood just moments ago, and spotted the trumpetist who was still playing, although you couldn’t hear him anymore. You kept on walking around the edifice, already towering the trees around you. You stopped your walk as you reached the side of the tower facing the Trocadéro and the bridge of Iéna. The Seine was calmly flowing before you, a few barges lazily floating down the stream. The sun glimmered on the Seine, like glitter poured in the river. The two statues at the entrance of the bridge seemed so little already at such height… you could see pass the Seine and even passed the Trocadéro, watching the rooftops of the closest buildings on the other side of the river. The blue sky where a few cotton-like clouds drifted aimlessly only brought more peace to the beautiful scenery. Next to you, Ben was grinning. He picked up his phone, and took a picture of the town through the fence that protected you from falling over.  
“It really is beautiful, isn’t it?” you breathed in a soft tone.  
Ben nodded, letting his eyes resting on the town sprawled at his feet.  
“It really is,” his tone matched yours. “And you make it even more beautiful.”  
You looked up at him. You could have giggled his remark away, but something in his voice told you that he meant it. He meant it all…  
Slowly, he turned his gaze to you once more, and you exchanged an earnest smile.  
“Am I going too far? By saying that?” he asked in this same soft tone, barely audible as his voice was carried by the wind.  
He cleared his throat before speaking again.  
“I mean… I don’t want to be too fast, or to forward… I’m not so… direct, usually.”  
“Is that your attempt at getting better at flirting?” you asked with humour, making him chuckle.  
“I was doing a little more than flirting,” you replied with a smile.  
You gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, and he seemed to understand what your gesture meant. That it was okay. That you felt that way too. He seemed to relax, and his smile widened. The wind pushed a strand of his dark hair before his eyes, but he didn’t seem to care about it and didn’t bother brushing it away.  
“Does that bother you if we take a picture together?” you asked him after a short silent.  
He shook his head with a smile, and you moved closer to him to take a selfie with him. Behind you, the view was breathtaking. And to take the picture, Ben released your hand to wrap his arm around you. Though his hold was loose, much like the way he had held you the day before for this picture with Darth Vader, it still brought butterflies to your stomach and made your heart trip in your ribcage.  
He didn’t release you immediately after you had taken the picture and put your phone away. Instead, his eyes settled on Paris once more, keeping you close to him. You rested your head against his shoulder, watching the tourists passing by and studying how the pieces of iron joined and parted in the structure of the pillars.  
Eventually, you moved out of his delicate embrace, but Ben took your hand in his again, and you climbed up to the second floor, that offered you a beautiful sight on the whole Paris, the rooftops glistening under the sun. After a while, you climbed up to the top, but found out that it was a little too high for you…  
Your hold on Ben’s hand tightened, and he turned to you with a questioning look as you came to a stop.  
“Is everything alright?” he asked in a soft and deep voice that warmed your very soul.  
“Yeah, it’s just… high,” you answered with a glance towards the Seine that drifted away more than two hundred meters under your feet.  
Ben’s eyes followed your glance and his head span a little at the sight. He quickly looked away.  
“Yeah, okay… perhaps it’s a little high,” he admitted with a nervous laugh.  
“The view is nice though,” you added, nodding towards the sight of the town splayed at your feet.  
“I could make a flirty remark about that,” Ben humorously wrinkled his eyebrows and you couldn’t help but laugh.  
“You still have so much work to do on that flirt!” you replied with a faked roll of your eyes.  
“Would you teach me?”  
“I’m too scared right now to acknowledge that flirt of yours.”  
“Would you like to go downstairs?”  
“Yeah… let’s get back to the second floor. That was better for my fearful nature!”  
“I don’t like so much height either, if it can reassure you.”  
“Actually it doesn’t. Means that you won’t be my knight in armour who will save me.”  
He let out a laugh.  
“Oh, I don’t think you’re the kind of woman who needs a knight in shining armour,” he replied as you walked back towards the stairs. “I don’t think you need anyone.”  
“Really?” you questioned, wondering in silence if he was right or wrong.  
“Really. I’m just lucky you’re willing to share some time with me. But you don’t need me.”  
“Well, of course, you’re a perfect stranger,” you replied in a detached tone that sounded a little detached to be completely earnest.  
Ben raised an eyebrow.  
“Now, you shouldn’t underestimate yourself,” he admonished.  
You didn’t answer, merely giving him a smile instead, and you leaned against the bannister of the second floor, your eyes drifting across the rooftops again. You looked at the tiny dots crossing the Champ de Mars and the tall trees swinging in the wind. The air was even colder here than below the tower, and you couldn’t help but shiver. In his hand, your fingers were frozen. Ben furrowed his brow a little.  
“You look like you’re turning in a human ice-cube,” he pointed out, making you chuckle.  
“I’m rather cold,” you admitted.  
Ben had noticed a shop that sold macarons and warm drinks, and he proposed to make a little stop there to get warmer. You accepted enthusiastically and let him guide you through the tourists who were so eager to see the view.  
Ben offered you a box of macarons and a warm tea, and you settled at a table together. It was warm inside, and you heaved a content sigh as you looked at the view once more, still visible across the glass wall of the teashop.   
You took a bite in one of the tiny cakes, and couldn’t refrain a little moan… it was so good…  
Ben chuckled at your reaction, taking a purple biscuit as well.  
“That’s so good, my god…” you mumbled, finishing the biscuit.  
“I have to admit that it’s not that bad,” he nodded, eating his own macaron in one mouthful.  
He noticed that you weren’t wearing the same jumper, and he narrowed his eyes a little. If this jumper was definitely more beautiful than the ridiculous cloth you had bought at Disneyland, it didn’t look warm at all.  
“I thought you didn’t have any other warm jumper,” he nodded towards your beige pullover.  
“Yeah… but I couldn’t walk through Paris with that ugly one we bought!” you replied.  
You didn’t tell him the real reason you weren’t wearing it. But something in his eyes, a little glint of mischief that suddenly alit, made you think that he had guessed.  
“Besides, you’re not wearing yours either!” you replied, eating another macaron, and you couldn’t help another soft moan as you ate the pink biscuit, making Ben smile.  
“No, but… I didn’t need that jumper. I just didn’t want you to feel too bad at looking ridiculous.”  
“See! I told you I was ridiculous! I couldn’t wear it here, today…”  
“But you look like you’re freezing,” he pointed out.  
“Not anymore,” you defended yourself.  
He narrowed his eyes at you again.  
“I know this is supposed to be a date, but I hope you’re not freezing just because we are… having a date.”  
“Why…? No!” you defended yourself, although Ben was 100% right. “Of course not!”  
“Good. Cause you don’t need to do that… I like you already.”  
“You think I’m desperate enough to do everything for you already?”  
Your words were a bit harsh, but your tone was full of humour, and Ben chuckled.  
“I think that you shouldn’t do that. Besides, I like that ridiculous jumper of yours.”  
“No, you don’t,” you shook your head.  
“No, I don’t,” he admitted, and you both let out a laugh.  
Ben picked up a map of Paris from the pocket of his coat, and looked up at you as he unfolded it.  
“Where do you want to go next? I reckon we should go to the Trocadéro. Perhaps we can go to the Champs Elysées this afternoon.”  
“I want to go to Notre-Dame too,” you added with an excited look all over your face.  
Ben didn’t even notice the smile that crept up his lips at the sight of your expression. You looked almost childish, happy… You looked adorable.  
“Right, we can definitely do that,” he nodded.  
“I’ve always dreamt to go there,” you admitted.  
“In his book, Victor Hugo described it so well… It’s definitely a place I want to see.”  
Your smile broadened.  
“You read Notre-Dame de Paris?” you asked, and Ben nodded.  
“It’s extremely depressing, but it’s such a good book!”  
You agreed, and the two of you exchanged another smile.  
You picked up one more biscuit, and you noticed that you had already ate much more of these macarons than Ben. He noticed your discomfort, and laughed it away.  
“I prefer salt to sugar. You can eat them all if you’d like.”  
“Really? You can resist something so good?”  
He seemed to hesitate, before picking up another macaron.  
“Okay, perhaps leave one or two for me.”  
You both laughed, before setting the conversation on your lives again. He told you funny stories about his jobs, and you told him about your work. You talked about your families as well, until your two teas had disappeared from the cups and all the macarons were eaten away. You hadn’t noticed how time had been flying by, but as you took a look at your watch, you were surprised to find out that it was past eleven already.  
Ben paid for the macarons and tea – he insisted on inviting you, so you finally yielded – and you walked back outside and down the long flights of stairs. You reached the concrete again, abandoning the iron of the tower. As you walked under the Eiffel Tower, advancing towards the Seine, you noticed that the trumpetist was still there. A young singer had joined him, her warm voice singing the lyrics of the song he was playing on his trumpet. La Vie En Rose had changed into Göttingen, Barbara replacing, and you and Ben slowed down your pace as you passed before them, until you stopped altogether to listen to the song.  
Bien sûr nous, nous avons la Seine  
Et puis notre bois de Vincennes,  
Mais Dieu que les roses sont belles  
A Göttingen, à Göttingen.  
Nous, nous avons nos matins blêmes  
Et l'âme grise de Verlaine,  
Eux c'est la mélancolie même,  
A Göttingen, à Göttingen.  
“Do you know what they’re saying?” you asked Ben softly, your voice a whisper as to not disturb the delicate song.  
Ben shook his head.  
“I don’t speak French well enough to understand what it’s about.”  
“It sounds beautiful though.”  
“It does.”  
His fingers brushed against yours, and slowly, you intertwined your fingers together. He moved a little closer to you, and you rested your head against his shoulder.   
Your heart was beating so fast in your chest, and yet you felt so peaceful. It was a strange sensation full of contrasts, but it felt wonderful. And Ben felt the same.  
The soft rhythm of the song was like a warm blanket wrapping around the two of you, despite the fact that the lyrics remained a mystery to you.  
Quand ils ne savent rien nous dire,  
Ils restent là à nous sourire  
Mais nous les comprenons quand même,  
Les enfants blonds de Göttingen.  
Et tant pis pour ceux qui s'étonnent  
Et que les autres me pardonnent,  
Mais les enfants ce sont les mêmes,  
A Paris ou à Göttingen.  
“Do you think it’s a love song?” you asked Ben softly.  
He shook his head.  
“No, I don’t think so.”  
“It sounds like one though.”  
O faites que jamais ne revienne  
Le temps du sang et de la haine  
Car il y a des gens que j'aime,  
A Göttingen, à Göttingen.  
“I don’t think it’s a love song… or at least, not a romantic one. I don’t understand much but… I reckon that it’s more about loving each other in general… you see what I mean? That we’re all the same and we shouldn’t fight each other, cause it doesn’t make sense at all to fight someone who’s exactly like you. I’m not sure I understand it right though…”  
“Well… it’s a love song then. An even bigger one.”  
You and Ben exchanged a smile, staring at each other for a moment. For the second time that morning, the world around you faded away until nothing but the music and the two of you remained.  
He hesitated for a second. He was staring at you, and for a moment, he was afraid to go too far and that you would push him away. But he couldn’t stop himself.  
Softly, he leaned down to rest his lips on your head, and he kissed your hair.  
At the sensation, you closed your eyes, tightening slightly your hold on his hand. And while the song continued, Ben left his lips pressed against the top of your head, breathing deeply in the scent of your sweet shampoo mingling with that peculiar smell of Paris, and he knew that he would never be able to forget this scent…  
Et lorsque sonnerait l'alarme,  
S'il fallait reprendre les armes,  
Mon cœur verserait une larme  
Pour Göttingen, pour Göttingen.  
You finally looked up at him, forcing him to remove his lips, and he looked at you with a serious expression that was almost scared. His eyes were almost black in the light of winter, and they searched on your features, as if they were looking for the answer to an unspoken question. You gave him a reassuring smile, and he seemed to relax, smiling at you as well.  
You gave the musicians a few coins before Ben and you would walk away.  
And as you advanced towards the Seine, the notes seemed to follow you for a little while longer…  
You weren’t sure what that song was about, but one thing was for certain: to you, from now on, it would be about love…


	5. Parlez-moi d'amour

Paris at dusk was filled with lights. The sky that had been coloured with grey by the rain had cleared during the afternoon, and was now coloured with a deep shade of purple, stars slowly lightening, like tiny diamonds on a velvet dome. Lampposts had started to be turned on as well, their yellowish light shining through the street. Christmas was adding its own lights as well, decorating the tall trees down the Champs-Elysées. In the distance, the Eiffel Tower was also about to wear its dress of lights. After visiting the Trocadéro and a few other places of the French town, you were now walking out of Notre-Dame, its sculpted stones towering the two of you.   
You had a large grin on your face, and it didn’t seem to be willing to go away. And Ben’s smile matched yours.  
“Well, that was something,” Ben commented with a dreamy glint in his dark brown eyes.  
He offered you his open hand and you walked away hand in hand towards the tall trees glimmering in the night.   
Winter was shortening the days, but many tourists were still visiting the cathedral, walking with their eyes up towards the gigantic monument. You couldn’t blame them for being oblivious of their steps and almost bumping into you once or twice. The tall walls sharply carved and adorned with so many gargoyles and shimmering stained glass were so impressive that you wondered how humans had been able to build something like this hundreds of years before…  
A few meters away, a man was selling hot chestnuts, and you and Ben bought a tiny bag that you shared together. The warm food was more than welcome, as the inside of the cathedral, although its beauty had warmed your heart and soul, was filled with cold air. Your feet and legs were starting to be a little painful as you had spent your whole day walking, but you didn’t regret it. You had spent such a lovely day…  
Ben threw a chestnut up in the air, before catching it in his mouth, and you couldn’t help laughing at him.  
“I didn’t know that skill of yours,” you mocked, and he gave you a wink and a bright smile.  
“Do you want to discover another one of my incredible skills?” he asked proudly.  
“Impress me.”  
He chuckled.  
“This skill can only be revealed in the right place.”  
“So… that was all words, huh?”  
“Of course not! You will get your demonstration before the end of the day, I promise. But here is not the right place to do it.”  
“Too close to a church? What kind of sin are you thinking about? Oh, so that’s it… you were a serial killer all along and I’m your next victim!”  
He exploded with laughter.  
“Of course not! You’ll see, it’s a surprise.”  
“I can’t wait to see that.”  
“You won’t be disappointed.”  
You exchanged a smile, before turning your back on the hospital and Notre-Dame, choosing to cross the nearby bridge in order to walk for a while on the riverbank. You walked across the Petit-Pont that some called Pont Des Coeurs, lingering above the water for a minute. In the distance, you could see the Pont Saint-Michel that seemed to float in mid-air a few meters above the calm water. A barge with tiny golden lights hanging at the windows was peacefully floating on the Seine. You moved a little closer to Ben, until you could rest your head against his shoulder.  
The atmosphere was magical, and Ben reckoned that it was a little cliché here again. Notre-Dame behind you, a barge on the Seine, stars above your heads… He had never been romantic enough to believe in the magic of this kind of settings. And yet, he felt deeply moved by the whole scenery. The fact that you were near him had quickened his heartbeat, and no matter how hard he tried to control his own body, he couldn’t slow down the racing thing. There were butterflies fluttering in his stomachs, and an excited feeling tickling him from head to toe, and his heart was pounding in his chest… Was it just you? Was it Paris? Was it the view? Or perhaps a little bit of the three mingling together to drive him crazy… he didn’t know. And he decided then that he didn’t care at all. If he couldn’t control the way he felt around you, he might as well just dive into it and embrace how hopeless he was around you. For some reason, your mere presence made him happy. And it was enough.  
“I don’t want today to end.”  
Your voice was a mere whisper, almost covered by the voices around you, the roaring of the cars driving behind you, and the shushed whisper of the water flowing beneath you. But Ben caught your words all the same, turning to you. His lips were so close to your hair, you could feel his breath warming your skin. When he answered, his voice was deep, almost hoarse, but soothing and tender as well.  
“We’ll still both be here tomorrow. And the day after that too. We still have time.”  
“But it would be great if the world could stay like this forever… Just you and me and the Seine.”  
His fingertips brushed against yours, his skin a little calloused against the back of your hand, until you intertwined your fingers together.  
“It feels…” you whispered, more to yourself than to him. “It feels like a dream. But dreams don’t last, do they? They’re gone in the blink of an eye, and they leave nothing behind but blurred memories and a dizzy feeling.”  
“Maybe. But the dream isn’t over yet. For now, we’re both lost in this dream, so let’s forget about the moment we will have to wake up, and let’s only think about this. Now. Just you and me and the Seine.”  
You looked up at him and gave him an earnest smile. And for a moment he fell so deeply in your eyes that he was certain he would never find a way to escape. But did he even want to try? He could find a new tiny detail in them that made him even more lost at every second. He guessed that if he kept on staring at your eyes for eternity, he would still be able to find new things to love about them.  
You were the one to look away first, Ben wouldn’t have been able to even if he had tried anyway. You took a chestnut from the paper bag Ben was still holding, the hot food feeling like fire against your freezing skin, and you took a step back.  
Ben’s cologne had blurred your senses, you could feel his warmth radiating through his clothes and yours. And his brown eyes were so beautiful…  
You needed to take a step back, or you would take a step closer and that would mean the end of you.  
“Let’s walk a little,” you proposed.  
He smiled, nodding, and you didn’t fail to notice that his cheeks and ears were turning a little red as he shook himself.  
You walked down a flight of stairs to reach the bank and walked towards the Pont au Double, passing next to the Cathedral again, only from the other side of the river. Lampposts shed a yellowish light on the growing shadows, the sky darkening from velvet to ink while more and more stars were hung on the canvas. There were people sitting on the edge of the bank, their feet a few meters above the running Seine, laughing and smoking. Christmas had added lights to the boats. The atmosphere was light-headed. A few couples were kissing while they walked hand in hand.  
“What will you do after this holiday?” you asked Ben after a rather long while spent walking in silence.  
He gave you a chestnut that you ate in one mouthful, and as he stuffed the bag in his pocket, you realized that he had given you the last one. He sniffed, burying his hands in his pockets to keep them warm. He offered you his arm, and you locked your elbow with his.  
“I will have some press to do,” he answered with a little wince. “Not my favourite part of the job, but I can’t escape it.”  
“You’ll be travelling?”  
“For a month or so,” he nodded. “Then… I don’t know. I’ll take a little break, I think. I had several projects in a row, I have to admit that I’m a little tired. I’ll take some rest.”  
“You’ve travelled so much… where would you like to go?”  
Ben let out a chuckle.  
“Well… Paris was on the bucket list,” he smiled.  
“You can check that!”  
“I can.”  
“And you had some wonderful company for the trip! Even better!” you joked.  
“I couldn’t have had better company indeed.”  
His tone was not as humorous as you expected, and you felt heat rise to your cheeks.  
“What place in the world would you like to see?” you asked again.  
He thought for a moment, before laughing.  
“I can’t choose one! That’s terrible, there are so many places I want to see. I want… I want to go to Roma.”  
“Roma?”  
“Yeah… and Firenze… and Napoli… the whole Italian coast too. I want to visit Spain as well. I went to Madrid a couple of times but only for press, and I didn’t see anything. I want… Actually, I just want to go somewhere and take my time. Do you see what I mean? Just like we did today. Taking my time, walking through a city without an agenda just… visiting. Just seeing the places I want to see without anyone telling me to hurry because I have twenty interviews to give today. I want… I want today to happen everywhere.”  
You exchanged a smile.  
“Well, next time, you may even be able to visit a town with your brother, instead of a stranger like me. And that’ll be even better!”  
Ben slowly shook his head.  
“If I were to be completely honest, I’m quite happy my brother couldn’t come. We would never have met otherwise.”  
You gave him a shy smile.  
“I have to admit, that I’m quite happy I came here alone as well. I’m glad we’ve met, Ben.”  
“I’m more than glad that we’ve met… and… can I confess something?”  
“Of course, I’m all ears.”  
“I feel… I feel like… I know you.”  
You frowned a little.  
“I’m pretty sure we’ve never met, Ben.”  
“No, I don’t mean that we’ve met before. But I… I feel like it’s easy to be around you. I don’t feel nervous even if we’ve known each other just a few days ago. I don’t feel like you don’t know who I am, like you don’t understand me. I'm… I feel happy with you, like we’ve been friends for years and we’re just catching up on each other’s lives. But at the same time… at the same time I feel excited like it’s the beginning of something important that I can’t really understand…”  
He narrowed his eyes a little as he tried to make sense of his thoughts and feelings, almost forgetting that you were next to him, walking by his side, holding his arm.  
“You really are terrible at flirting, Ben,” you smiled.  
There was something tender in your voice as you answered, and Ben seemed to realize all the extent of his confession, and by the embarrassed look on his face, you easily guessed that he hadn’t meant to tell you all this. But you playfully nudged him, and your voice was reassuring when you broke the silence again.  
“I’m happy to be with you too, Ben.”  
You exchanged a smile, and kept on walking in silence for a little while.  
You finally reached a bateau-mouche that had been turned into a restaurant. Ben gave you an excited look as he proposed to eat on the boat. How could you resist a romantic dinner on a barge in Paris?  
The movement of the boat was barely noticeable and didn’t disturb you at all. You were guided to a table for two with a view turned towards the Seine, the bridges alit with lampposts and fast cars. In the distance, you could guess the shape of the alit Cathedral partially hidden by branches of naked trees. The atmosphere of the restaurant was warm, a piano set at the end of the room and a door leading onto a little space outside. The restaurant wasn’t full yet, and when you checked your watch, you realized it was rather early still. But you were absolutely famished.  
Dinner went smoothly. French food was a pure pleasure, and you were particularly happy with the chocolate fondant. You noticed that anyone could sit behind the piano and play, and you enjoyed the happy mood it gave to the room. Many Christmas songs had been played by various people during the meal, adding even more warmth to the place.  
You were about to finish your meal with a coffee, and yet, you didn’t want to leave. You felt too happy here, with Ben, listening to the soft piano and eating amazing food and laughing with him and…  
You were falling for him. It was more than clear. And there was nothing that you could do.  
Ben would have wanted to make this evening last forever. The view on the Seine was beautiful, and you were breath-taking. He hadn’t laughed like this in ages, you really were hilarious. He was happy, God, he was so happy…   
He was falling for you. It was more than clear. And there was nothing that he could do.  
You reached across the table to hold his hand in yours, and he gave your fingers a tender squeeze. You moved to press your palm against his, measuring your hand compared to his much larger one. Eventually, Ben slid his hand against yours just enough to intertwine your fingers with his.  
Behind him, the woman who had been playing the piano stopped, and silence filled the room over the shushed buzzing of quiet conversations. A mischievous smile formed on Ben’s lips.  
“Are you ready to discover that other talent of mine?”  
“Now?”  
“Now.”  
“Sure! Go ahead! What is it? You can touch the tip of your nose with your tongue?”  
He laughed, shaking his head, before standing up and striding towards the piano. You watched him moving between the tables with a curious expression, wondering what he would do.  
He sat down at the piano, and you couldn’t refrain a little gasp.  
He looked at you for a few seconds, sending you a smile before he would rest his fingers on the keys, and he started to play.  
Softly, he sang All I Want For Christmas Is You, and you were left breathless, your heartbeat a complete mess. His deep voice was soft and reassuring, like a warm blanket wrapped all around you. Everything around you was gone, except for Ben and this piano. Several times, he looked at you while he sang the most tender lyrics, and you were certain that you were about to faint. And you couldn’t help to imagine… what if he sang it a bit for you?  
In his eyes you could read that he did. That when he spoke about wanting you by his side, he really was talking about you. Your reasonable brain tried to keep the thought at bay, but your heart knew.  
He was singing about love, and it was all about you.  
Only too soon, his voice faded, almost as if it were breaking, and upon the piano his fingers went still.  
His dark brown eyes were fixed on yours. He knew he had revealed too much too soon. Even he wasn’t sure of how deep his feelings were. He knew he had feelings for you though. How crazy was that? You had met just a few days before… how could he feel so much so fast?  
The rest of the clients of the restaurant gave Ben a round of applause, but he didn’t seem to notice it. He saw you clapping though. He saw the grin on your face, and was almost certain that there were tears in your eyes.  
How much of his heart had he just revealed?  
Suddenly, he was terrified. He felt his head spinning. So, he stood up in a hurry and strode towards the door that led to the front of the boat, outside.  
The cold wind slapped his cheeks, but he ignored the bites of the wind. On the contrary, the weather calmed him down. All around the decks, Christmas lights were shining, sending reflection on the dark water and enlightening the whole boat.  
He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. What was happening to him?  
He didn’t hear you coming and was startled when you rested your hand on his arm. You gave him his coat, and he thanked you with a weak smile.  
“That was beautiful,” you complimented him weakly.  
“Thank you,” he smiled.  
“I have to admit, that it’s almost as impressive as that chestnut trick.”  
He couldn’t help his laughter.  
“Thanks.”  
Your eyes locked on his, and for a moment, you both stood still.  
Inside, a woman had taken Ben’s place at the piano, and had started to play Parlez-moi d'amour. You smiled, taking Ben’s hand in yours and taking a step closer to him.  
“I think it’s time I show you one of my skills,” you joked, starting to sway softly with the piano.  
Ben was not a great dancer, but he didn’t even think about that then. All he could think of was your hand in his, and your two eyes that had captured his soul, and how close the two of you stood. Without a word, but with a tender smile, he rested his other hand on the small of your back, and you danced in the night, upon the Seine, surrounded by the soft lights around the deck, Notre-Dame in the distance, while the notes of the piano flew towards the starry sky and the silver moon.  
The voice of the pianist joined the instrument, and Ben softly sang along, and you noticed that he knew the French lyrics.  
“I thought you didn’t speak French,” you teased him.  
“I know the song.”  
He tightened ever so slightly his hold on you. Your breath and Ben’s were a mess that mingled between you in one warm little cloud. There was nothing in the world but his arms, his breath, his deep voice singing softly and this piano…  
“What does it mean?” you asked in a whisper.  
Ben’s voice softly switched from French back to English, and he translated the end of the song for you, still singing along.  
It is so sweet  
My dear treasure, to be a little crazy,  
Sometimes life is too bitter  
If we don’t believe in chimeras,  
Sorrow is quickly soothed  
And with a kiss it is eased,  
The wound of the heart  
Is healed with a reassuring promise

Tell me about love,  
Tell me tender things all over again,  
Your beautiful speech  
My heart is never tired of hearing it  
May you forever  
Repeat these supreme words:  
I love you.  
Slowly, your hand rose to rest on his cheek, your palm tickled by his beard. Your fingertips brushed the lonely freckle under his eye, and the gesture felt so intimate…  
You barely noticed the fact that the space between your two faces was shrinking and shrinking and shrinking. Slowly, Ben leaned down towards you, and you leaned up towards him, your lips coming closer and closer until the feeling of his warm breath against your mouth sent shivers up and down your spine. You both closed your eyes and remained still for a few seconds, so close…   
…and Ben finally closed the space between you.  
Your other hand flew up to run through his hair. He wrapped an arm around you to hold you as close to him as he could, while his other hand held your face, his thumb softly stroking your cheekbone.  
You had never felt this way. How could you feel so many feelings through only one kiss?  
Ben was asking himself the same question, breathless, his heart beating so fast he wondered if he was about to have a heart-attack.  
But then the answer was simple, and nor you nor Ben could deny it anymore. This kiss was the final proof.  
He was falling in love with you.  
You were falling in love with him.  
And in the boat, the piano kept on playing the same song a second time…  
For how long did you stay there, kissing… a minute? An hour? A year? You would have wanted it to last for a lifetime…


	6. Chanson de Maxence

It was almost midnight already. You had agreed to meet early on the next morning, in order to get to the Louvre. You didn’t expect to have the time to see everything in just one day, but you were pretty sure that you could walk through most of it. Ben was as excited as a little boy. His dark eyes were lightening up at the mere thought of discovering this enormous museum that protected so many masterpieces.  
Ben and you had taken a cab to cross the city towards your hotel. He wasn’t keen to let you go back to your hotel alone so late, especially in a foreign town. You kept on talking about everythings and nothings during the ride, but the driver eventually came to a stop, and it was time to let this evening end.  
Ben asked the driver to wait for him and walked with you to the door of the hotel. You guessed he was being extra zealous. Actually, he just wanted to steal every second he could with you.  
You stopped right under a lamppost, and Ben and you exchanged a shy smile. You glanced over the door of your hotel, and counted the steps you would have to take to reach it.  
One…  
Two…  
Three…  
Only three little steps, why was it so hard to force your body to move and close such a tiny distance?  
Ben’s hand brushed against yours, before he wrapped his long fingers around yours. His thumb softly stroked the inside of your wrist, right against your pulse, and you were grateful that his gesture was only soft and delicate, so he wouldn’t feel your heart quickening under his touch.  
“Well… good night then. I’ll see you in the morning.”  
His voice was only a whisper, it was all he could muster. And he intended for his tone to be soft, but it was only longing, reluctant…  
He didn’t want the two of you to part just yet, and he couldn’t hide it. You could feel it in his touch as well, his hand holding yours with all the tenderness in the world, but just tightly enough to show that he never wanted to let go.  
What was happening to him? He had no idea. You were a twister blowing through his life, and he had no choice but to let you take him a million miles away. He felt like his life was about to be turned upside-down, but he knew it would be for the better. And he had to take a leap of faith to reach you, he knew it, but he didn’t feel like he had the choice to jump or remain on the edge of the cliff. He felt like he was already falling.  
He didn’t know it yet, but you felt just the same.  
You gave him a bright smile.  
“Today… was by far the best date I ever had,” you admitted.  
He smirked proudly.  
“Have you ever doubted my ability to give you an unforgettable date?” he teased, making you laugh.  
“Paris did all the work,” you replied with a mischievous smile. “You had nothing to do with it.”  
“We both know it was all because of my charm.”  
You both let out a chuckle, and when you grew silent again, Ben’s expression was more serious.  
“Well, if we’re down for confession time… I think it was my best date as well. And Paris had little to do with it.”  
You felt heat rushing to your cheeks despite the cold of the winter air. The light of the lamppost bathed Ben’s features in a yellowish light that made golden sparks shine in his brown eyes.  
What was happening to you? You had no idea…  
But damn, that man would surely be the death of you. Perhaps it was the way his cheeks were a little flushed by both the cold and his confession, perhaps it was because of the short beard covering his cheeks, perhaps it was his dark eyes that stared right at your soul, perhaps it was his deep voice that seemed to warm up your whole frame everytime he spoke, perhaps it was his goofy but hilarious sense of humour, perhaps it was his slight stammer that appeared with his blush…  
Perhaps it was how he handled you as if you were the most precious thing in the world, when no one had done that before. Perhaps it was because he seemed just as lost as you, but earnest all the same.  
No matter why, you knew what was happening to you. You had been certain since that kiss on the boat.   
What was happening between you and Ben was special, rare… and terrifying. But you knew it was worth it.  
Behind you, the cab driver honked to make Ben hurry up, and you finally took a step back.  
“Good night, Ben.”  
You turned towards the building, but you had barely taken one step ahead, that you felt Ben reaching for your hand to stop you.  
“Y/N, wait…”  
Ben didn’t think as he moved towards you. He didn’t think about the fact that perhaps it was too early still to make such a bold gesture. He didn’t think about the consequences, only about the fact that he didn’t want to let you go just yet.  
You turned to him again as he held your hand, and before you could react, he was pressing his lips against yours.  
His hands flew up to hold your face, his hold delicate but just firm enough to keep you close to him. There was something passionate in his kiss, when on the boat, it was slower and more tender. It was almost desperate this time.  
You didn’t break away before you were both out of breath, and he rested his brow against yours for a moment, both of you breathless.  
You both kept your eyes closed, and finally, Ben moved just enough to drop a sweet kiss on your forehead.  
“Good night, Y/N.”  
His voice was low, deep, almost hoarse, and it made your heart skip a beat.  
Before you could speak, he had pulled away and walked back to the cab. He looked in the rear mirror as you walked in the hotel.  
What a day…  
—————————————————————————-  
It was already late at night, but you couldn’t stop yourself. You were drifting on a little cloud and there was nothing in the world that could pull you back down to Earth. You knew that it was more than time to go to sleep, but there was no way you could find rest for now.  
You let yourself fall onto your bed and reached for your phone to call Annie.  
She answered with a grumpy voice, and you knew she had started to drift off to sleep before her TV.   
“I really do hope that you have a good reason for calling me at this ungodly hour.”  
“It’s barely 11 pm in London, don’t be so dramatic,” you laughed at her.  
“That’s an ungodly hour. The only reason why I will accept this call of yours is if something happened romantically speaking between you and Charming Stranger.”  
But as she spoke these very words, she seemed to realize their meaning, and her tone changed from annoyed to excited.  
“Oh my god, did something happen between you and Charming Stranger?!”  
You blushed and let out a little giggle.  
“We went on a date today.”  
“Awww! Where did he take you?”  
“We met at the Eiffel Tower this morning, and then we visited Paris through the whole day… and tonight we ate dinner on the Seine and… oh, Annie, it was so romantic…”  
“Aw… But what happened?”  
“I told you what happened…”  
“No, no, no, no, no! That’s not worth a phone call so late at night. WHAT HAPPENED?!”  
You had to put your phone away from your ear to avoid her shout, but it merely made you laugh at her.  
“Well… we… may have kissed…”  
She let out a loud squeal and you laughed at her again.  
“Tell me everything!” Annie ordered. “Where? How? When?”  
“On the boat, after we had dinner. He played a song on the piano in the restaurant and then we went outside and we danced a little and… well…”  
She let out another excited shout and this time you joined her.  
“And that’s all? I mean you and him didn't…”  
“It was our first date, Annie!”  
“Yes, I know! But I mean… he sounds kind and cute and I googled him today and gosh is he handsome… All I’m saying is that it would be a shame to miss your chance!”  
“I’m not looking for a fling!”  
“Well… better than nothing… just saying…”  
“Annie!”  
“Alright, alright, let’s go back to Charming Stranger. Will you see him again?”  
“Tomorrow. We’re going to the Louvre together.”  
“I am so jealous…”  
“Don’t be…”  
“You’re going to the most romantic places with your new boyfriend, of course I am right to be jealous!”  
“He’s not my boyfriend,” you defended yourself.  
“Your soon-to-be boyfriend.”  
“We’re not there yet…”  
“Oh, Y/N! Stop denying the truth! I know a brand-new relationship when I see one!”  
“You’re not even here!”  
“I know about these things. Trust me. You’ll see.”  
You rolled your eyes and moved the conversation towards your friend instead.  
Even after staying with Annie on the phone for a while, you still couldn’t sleep. The thought of Ben, all these moments shared with him, these kisses… it all kept on swirling through your mind and you barely slept at all that night.  
And you didn’t know it, but Ben felt the same.  
——————————————————————-  
You were sitting on a bench in the middle of the gallery. The wooden floor cracked under your shoe as you moved your foot. People were slowly walking around you, speaking in a tone barely louder than a whisper. The Louvre called for this almost-silent atmosphere. Everything, from the place in itself to the art that it protected, was impressive.  
Before you, the masterpiece of Eugène Delacroix towered you by all its splendour. The more you looked at it, the more you found new details to discover. The towers of Notre Dame in the distance, the game of lights on Marianne’s face, the shoes of this young boy before her that seemed too big for him, a dead soldier on the ground missing a shoe…  
You could have kept on starring at it for hours.  
You had already spent a long time admiring Mona Lisa, despite the rush of tourists that kept on coming and going before De Vinci’s portrait. You had walked through the halls filled with statues that were thousands of years old, admired Venus, walked across ancient Egypt and Renaissance by simply changing rooms, from sarcophagus to La Liberté Guidant Le Peuple. Besides a few exceptions - as French seemed good at setting up exceptions for everything, as you were beginning to find out by yourself – nothing beyond 1848, as the most recent paintings and pieces of art were kept on the other side of the Seine, in the Musée d'Orsay. That would be your next stop in a museum. The next day was Ben’s last day, you planned on going through Versailles and its gardens. His flight being only in the middle of the afternoon the next day, you could squeeze the Musée d'Orsay in the morning, at least a part of it. If you couldn’t finish the visit with Ben, you would go ahead on your own.  
You pushed the thoughts of your plans away, and instead, focused on the painting before you once more.  
You were resting your head on Ben’s shoulder, who kept on staring at the painting as well, his fingers wrapped around yours.  
The colours, the shapes, the tiny details that you discovered more and more… you were losing yourself in all these pieces that surrounded you. Your head was filled with art, statues and paintings and old stones and wherever you looked, you entered a new scene, a new emotion, a new story that longed to be told and waited for you to find its own meaning. You could easily lose yourself through it all…  
You were startled as Ben finally spoke again after the long silence that had settled between the two of you.  
“The museum will soon close, it’s almost 6pm. We should head for the exit.”  
But you tightened your hold on his hand.  
“Just five more minutes.”  
He chuckled, but nodded without reluctance. He didn’t want to go just yet either. Everything felt too exceptional for that.  
Eventually, it was time to go nonetheless. As you walked out of the immense building, the sun had fallen beyond the buildings of Paris, and tiny stars were starting to spark through the purple, almost black sky.  
Before the museum, the glass pyramids were alit with a warm light, that enlightened the whole street and gave to the building behind them even more stature.   
Ben wrapped his arm around you as you stopped at the feet of the pyramids. The air was cold and in the sky a few clouds seemed to be gathering, their shade turned brown by growing darkness. You snuggled a little closer to Ben, who dropped a sweet kiss on your temple, causing you both to close your eyes.  
“What shall we do now? It’s only half past five, we still have some time,” you asked, resting your head in the crook of his neck while you kept on admiring the beautiful view.  
A mischievous smile appeared on Ben’s face.  
“I reckon that Montmartre is calling for us…”  
—————————————————————-  
The Sacré Coeur looked gorgeous, even from the distance. You were not there yet, but you could already see the graceful curves of the basilica. But on your way through Montmartre towards the Sacré Coeur, you had been attracted by this quiet little garden you were now crossing with Ben. It was nothing more but a tiny public garden, with a few oaks towering two little alleys and flowerbeds. But it seemed nice, and the detail that had caught your eye from the street was that strange blue wall that seemed covered with inscriptions. You hurried towards it, curiosity getting the best of you.  
And indeed, as you now stood before this wall, you found out that many words were written all over it, white letters traced on the deep blue wall. You couldn’t understand their meaning at first though. They seemed to be written in different languages, but what did these words mean?  
You asked your question out loud, and Ben soon found your answer.  
“I think they all mean ‘I love you’.”  
And indeed, now that you had a moment to take a closer look, you spotted these three meaningful words written in different languages you recognized and understood. And the thought filled your heart with a sweet emotion.  
“How lovely,” you smiled a tender smile, resting your head against Ben’s shoulder once more.  
A few meters away, a group of young people were playing guitar and laughing loudly. The strings started to play the tune of an old French film, and the melody of La Chanson de Maxence filled the air. One of the boys started to sing along the French lyrics that told the story of this young man looking for the woman he would love all his life and how he had travelled through the world to find her, how he had imagined her, but for now had found no trace of this dream. You let the sweet music sooth your mind and your eyes kept on travelling through the white letters.  
Ben intertwined your fingers together, nodding in agreement. And for a while, you remained there, before this wall covered with the sweetest words a human could speak in all these languages, making it universal, just like the meaning and feeling they carried.   
Ben remained quiet for a moment, lost in thought to the point that after a while, he could barely see the wall before him. He could still feel your fingers against his though, he could smell the sweet scent of your shampoo, he could still feel your body against his.  
He wanted to take things slow with you. He wanted to calm down and think about the way he felt for you, and rationalize it all. For goodness’s sake, you had met just a few days before, how could have his whole body reacting to you so easily and thoroughly already? His heart tripping in his chest in a clumsy rhythm every time he saw you, the butterflies that fluttered across his stomach every time he touched you and these feelings… How could he be missing you whenever the two of you parted? How could he spend hours at night thinking, and afterwards, once sleep finally overtook him, dreaming of you?  
Did all these symptoms mean that on his heart as well, these three words had been written… for you?  
He pushed the thought away and wrapped his arm around you, nodding towards the Sacré Coeur, alit in the distance.  
“We should go take a look up there.”  
You nodded enthusiastically, and let him guide you to the basilica.  
There, the view on Paris was unbelievable. A whole city sprawling at your feet, alit with thousands of tiny lights, further than what your eyes could see. You could even see the glimmering Eiffel Tower from up there. And as you snuggled closer to Ben once more, all you could think of was that you were glad he was there.  
——————————————————  
You walked through the night towards your hotel. You had found a cute little restaurant nearby and Ben was now escorting you back to the large building where you would find rest for the night. He was laughing at your stories as you approached the door.  
You tried to steal a few more minutes with him, but soon your story was over, and you had no further excuse to stay with him.  
It was time for goodbyes all over again…  
“I’ll see you tomorrow at Versailles, then,” Ben smiled.  
But you didn’t want to let him go, and he didn’t want to leave. You could see it in his eyes that he didn’t want to part either.  
You didn’t answer to his words and reached up to kiss him instead. It quickly turned from shy to desperate, and you didn’t break your embrace before you were both breathless. He loosened your scarf just enough to be able to kiss your jawline and the upper part of your neck, and you thought your heart would explode.  
For a second, you thought back about Annie’s words from the previous night. And you had not changed your mind, you still didn’t want a mere fling.  
But hell, you did want him…  
When you looked up at his dark eyes again, you didn’t need to speak. He could read it all in your eyes. And you saw in his stare that he wanted the same thing.  
When he spoke, his voice was a mere whisper.  
“Are you sure?”  
You tried to gather enough strength to speak, but failed. So, you nodded instead.  
And when you opened the front door of your hotel, he followed you in.


	7. Longtemps

Outside the warm bedroom, the sun was still shy. A pale light bathed the rooftops of Paris while dawn rose, colouring the sky with gold and pale blue hues instead of inky shades. Clouds were gathering in the distance, catching fire as the sunbeams hit them. Slowly, the city was waking up with a laziness mingled with hurry, and the subway was filled with workers travelling across the town from home to their workplace with their eyes still filled with sleep.  
Meanwhile, in your hotel room, Ben was staring at you.  
Your closed eyes still moved under your eyelids at the rhythm of your dreams. You were lying on your side, facing him, your lips slightly parted. Your hair fell a little across your cheek, and he delicately brushed the strand away to admire your cheekbone.  
He wasn’t sure what to do now. Oh, he wasn’t even thinking about leaving you here, don’t worry. He would stay by your side in this bed until you woke up, that wasn’t what he was unsure of.  
But how would your relationship evolve after the prior night, that was the question that made him feel nervous. Almost afraid…  
He had never meant for you to be a mere one-night stand. But he hadn’t planned on falling head-over-heels for you either.  
Ben was mostly rational. Sometimes a little too much for his own good, he was willing to admit it. He thought things through before taking a decision. He thought about it thoroughly and weighed the pros and cons and chose the solution that seemed the safest.  
But with you, it seemed that he couldn’t listen to his brain.  
Instead his heart seemed to have taken the lead, beating harder whenever he saw you, skipping a beat when he touched you, pounding when you smiled…  
He felt like he belonged here, by your side. And if his rational brain kept on reminding him that he had met you just a few days before, his trembling heart kept on pushing him towards you. It was such a strange feeling, to know beyond all logic that he was right where he should be. It was more than instinct or gut feeling. As he watched you peacefully sleeping next to him, it was certainty.  
But did you feel the same?  
His thumb traced the sharper edge of your cheekbone as he softly cupped your face, his touch feathery. You suddenly stirred, blinking a few times and opening your drowsy eyes before he could pull away.  
You stared at each other for a moment, motionless. He waited to see your reaction, and your brain played the events of the previous night as a reminder. When you finally shook yourself, you tightened a little your hold on the sheet, pulling it up to fully cover your torso up to your neck.  
“Hey,” Ben greeted you with a tender smile.  
“Hey,” you breathed back.  
There was a short silence before you spoke again in a voice tightened by emotions, barely louder than a breathy whisper.  
“You’re here.”  
Ben smiled, amused and puzzled at the same time as he quirked an eyebrow.  
“Of course, I’m here,” he nodded. “What did you imagine? That I would turn back into a frog after you stopped kissing me?”  
“Something like that.”  
You struggled to swallow back the lump in your throat, and your voice when you spoke again was tainted with fear.  
“I… For a moment, I thought you would leave before I would wake up.”  
His smile changed into a reassuring one, and he shook his head.  
“I’m not a bastard,” he answered earnestly, and you couldn’t refrain a laugh.  
“Yeah… I can see that.”  
Across your cheek, his thumb moved again, the gesture tender and soft.  
You took some time to lay there, motionless on the mattress, staring at each other. You looked at his eyes, and his beard, and this freckle under his right eye that you adored, and his hair messed by both sleep and your fingers during the night.  
And the way he looked at you, his dark brown eyes roaming your face again and again, passing on the same spots until he had memorized every detail, made you feel worshipped like never before.  
Eventually, the alarm you had set on your phone the previous evening rang, soon joined by Ben’s, and the two of you exchanged a smile.  
“I think Versailles awaits us,” you breathed, letting your phone ring as you couldn’t gather the strength to look away from his eyes.  
“There’s something I need to do before getting up,” he replied, leaving his phone ringing through the room freely as well.  
You silently invited him to continue and he smirked, before holding your face more firmly and pulling you into a kiss… that you could only describe as loving.  
You kept on kissing, ignoring the ringing alarms until they went silent on their own.  
And well… let’s say that you arrived at Versailles later than expected…  
—————————————————————  
The Galerie des Glaces stretched before you as a gallery you thought had been extracted from a book. The marble floor made every of your steps echo through the hall. The walls seemed made of gold, the crystal chandeliers above your head glimmered in the pale light of a wintery morning, coming in through the tall windows on your left that ran all the way down the gallery. And beyond these chandeliers, the ceiling was fully painted, tracing in curves the story of the first years of the reign of Louis XIV, filled with war and peace. On your right the mirrors that had given the name of the room reflected the visitors in awe, the grey sky full of water droplets and the rich decoration.  
Ben had wrapped his arm around your shoulders, and your own hand was settled on his waist. Slowly, you walked in unison through the gallery, your eyes round in awe of the scenery, and your hearts beating harder because of the nearness of the other.   
You looked at your two reflections in one of the old mirrors that had witnessed so many people passing before them, people who were long gone by now. You could almost see their ghosts in the glass, from the ladies twirling in their satin dress centuries before to the young children coming now to visit the old halls. It was one of these places where you felt the weight of history on your shoulders. You could smell it in the air, you could see it everywhere you looked. There was this strange sensation that you were out of time. Ben’s body against yours still anchored you in the present, but the many people who had walked these halls before you accompanied each of your steps.  
You walked across the hall to take a look by the high windows, and a dreamy grin formed on your features as you took in the view of the gardens. Bushes, grass, flowers, trees and alleys seemed to have partnered together to draw on the ground a painting that could only be seen from the sky. Spirals of grass traced their curves across the white alleys, pines adding darker shades to the ground. Three large fountains finished to decorate the scenery. There were still a few white stains left from the snow that had fallen a few days before and had been frozen in the branches of the trees and bushes. Further down, the park stretched till the horizon, the large lake that followed disappearing in the grey hues of the sky filled with snowflakes.  
“That is what I call a view,” Ben smiled, pulling you a little closer to him.  
You hummed in agreement, snuggling closer to his chest.  
“I have something to admit…” he went on, and you looked up at him with a little frown. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to get you such a view for our next dates.”  
You giggled, and he made a dramatic face.  
“I mean… I know my charms will do all the work for me but…”  
You swatted his shoulder playfully as you laughed and he soon joined you.  
“Actually, the scenery is your main argument for now.”  
“What?! I thought it was my never-ending charisma.”  
You faked a wince and you both laughed again, making a few tourists turn to glare at you.  
But you didn’t stop joking, and you kept on giggling as you walked your way down the gallery.  
And as you stepped out of the room, Ben pressed a tender kiss to your temple.  
He proposed to take a walk through the gardens, and you accepted with a smile full of excitement curling up your lips.  
The air was cold, and the sun hidden behind the clouds wasn’t there to warm your skin. Ben had released your shoulders to take your hand instead. And as you entered the gardens, you intertwined your fingers together.  
You walked across the garden you had admired from the Gallerie des Glaces. In the fountains, the water had frozen, and thus no liquid was running out of the statues, but it didn’t bother you at all. It felt wintery, but not less beautiful than if you had walked through the alleys in summer.  
After wandering through the maze of bushes nearby, you started in the direction of the park and the long lake that stretched across the trees, like a blue arrow piercing a forest into two.  
The cold weather had apparently discouraged most tourists from adventuring outside, and both you and Ben enjoyed this peaceful walk.  
Upon the water, a few ducks swam slowly, paddling in the lake. All around you, the trees are for the most part lost their leaves. The grass was a little muddy, but the green shade in the pale light and grey world provoked a beautiful contrast. And the more you walked across the park, the most you wanted this moment to never end.  
You kept on wandering through the park for a rather long while, until both of you felt painfully hungry.  
You stopped under a little kiosk in the Trianon, and ate the picnic you had brought along next to the statue of a cupid.  
Meanwhile, the conversation had drifted from your family and your work to his.  
“But it must be tricky to put on this fake skin every morning, pretend all day long that you are someone else, and then come home and be you again,” you asked Ben, before biting in your bread.  
“Sometimes it is,” Ben nodded in agreement. “For some characters more than others, but it’s always something you need to be careful about. Or else you might lose yourself in a character, and at the end of the job, there won’t be you anymore, just the character left.”  
“How do you cope with that?”  
“I have friends who are good at reminding me who I am,” he smiled. “They call me out when I don’t come back as myself fully. And besides that… my parents are a psychiatrist and a therapist, I can still give them a call and I don’t even have to pay for therapy.”  
You let out a loud laugh, and Ben soon joined you.  
“Is it harder if you’re single?” you asked in curiosity.  
He seemed to think for a moment, before he would slowly nod.  
“Sometimes, yes. It is. When you go home to find someone who is waiting for you… someone who wants to be with you as you are and not with one of these characters you play… Someone who doesn’t see an actor at all… Someone who just sees me… I’m not saying that no one sees me as I am, don’t think I’m complaining. But I would be a fool to think that no one sees my job before seeing through it all. And sometimes… sometimes it’s tiring. Sometimes, I know that I can’t really be myself around some people.”  
You put your sandwich away and took Ben’s hand in yours, resting your head on his shoulder for a moment, your eyes settling on the cupid before you.  
“I hope you can feel that you can be yourself with me,” you let out a breathy whisper.  
He pressed a kiss to the top of your head, and you both closed your eyes together.  
“I know,” he reassured you. “And it feels good.”  
After a while, Ben started to hum a tune you remembered from the radio, but you didn’t know the name of the song. Nevertheless, you joined Ben as he kept on humming.  
He smiled at the sound, before reaching for his phone and earphones. He gave you one of them, and you smiled at him, putting the earphone in your ear.  
“What are we listening to?” you asked him, kissing his jawline and making him grin.  
He didn’t answer. Instead, he found back this song he had been humming and turned the volume up.  
Longtemps started to play, but you couldn’t understand the meaning behind the lyrics. The melody was soft though. The voice warm and soothing. Just by the sound of it, you knew it was a love song.  
“Tell me what it is about,” you whispered, stroking Ben’s arm and nuzzling your head in the crook of his neck.  
He took your other hand in his, and guided it to his lips, so he could kiss the back of your hand.  
“I don’t know what it means…”  
“I’m sure you can catch a few words.”  
“Not really.”  
“Don’t play it humble, come on!”  
He chuckled, but when the chorus played again, he complied anyway.  
“Longtemps it means… ‘for a long time’.”  
“Lo…”  
“Longtemps,” he laughed at you as you tried to repeat the words.  
“Longtemps,” you repeated it well enough this time.  
“Rêver, it means 'to dream’.”  
“Rêver.”  
“Sourire, it’s 'to smile’.”  
“Sourire… oh, I like this one.”  
“Me too.”  
He had kept your hand imprisoned in his large one, and he rested it against his heart.  
“It’s a love song, isn’t it?” you asked softly.  
“Yes, it is.”  
“What is he saying?”  
“That he wants to be with this woman he loves for a long time. That he wants them to grow old together, even when they are too old to remember who they are, he will be happy as long as he’s with her.”  
“That’s a beautiful love song… how do you say that? How do you say 'to love’?”  
His heart skipped a beat as he answered, turning his head to whisper against your temple, his warm breath tickling your skin.  
“Aimer.”  
You tightened your hold on his hand as you repeated the simple word, your heart quickening.  
“Aimer…”  
You stared at the cupid before you, holding on Ben tightly, feeling his heart beating just as fast as your own. Behind you, through the tall trees, a few birds were singing too.  
Ben played the song again, unwilling to let this moment end.  
And all around you, the snow began to fall…


	8. How Would You Feel?

The Musée d'Orsay was surreal. The main hall and its ceiling of steel beams and glass and its oversized clock felt like taking a jump through time of more than a century. All morning long, you had walked across so many worlds, passing through halls filled with canvas and sculptures, from Picasso to Gauguin, Degas and Van Gogh… the most brilliant artists that had shaped art since the 1850s were gathered there.  
And if you had adored most of the pieces you had seen, you had to admit that the collection of Monet was taking your breath away.  
And for this artist you had expected to adore most of all his famous Bassin des nymphéas, but now that you were seeing all these paintings with your own eyes, and not through a set of screens, you were particularly moved by the sight of the English parliament appearing through the fog of the morning. Londres, Le Parlement: trouée de soleil dans le brouillard, had such a strange atmosphere of its own. Such a contrast between the bluish fog and the bright orange shades of the sun that seemed to be piercing through the very canvas.   
You had walked back before this precise painting, and Ben had followed your footsteps in silence. The previous day had ended the way it had begun: magically. Your world and his were suddenly filled with romantic places, and tender kisses, and stolen pecks on the cheek, and hands holding your own, and a reassuring voice talking you through the darkest part of the night… and none of you had a clue about how to handle it all.  
You hadn’t imagined finding Ben when you had climbed on that plane back in London. And he had expected everything but you when he had accepted to travel without his brother. Somehow, you had found each other anyway, and now… now your life was in a happy and scary mess.  
“Is that your favourite?” Ben asked, reading your thoughts.  
“I think it is,” you nodded, keeping your voice low in the quiet museum.  
“Good choice.”  
“What’s yours?”  
He was about to answer when his phone vibrated in the pocket of his dark trousers and he picked it out to read the text he had received.  
You seized the occasion to shamelessly stare at him. His dark hair slightly messy that called for your fingers, his short beard, the way his cream suit jacket and white shirt fitted his body so well…  
You were so addicted to him, it was completely mental…  
It was more than a crush, it was more than a spark, it was a whole bonfire burning through every one of your cells. It was a firework exploding through your veins. It was a tidal wave sweeping you off of your feet and there was nothing you could hold onto. All you could do was drown. All you could do was burn. And you did want to swim back to the surface and you did want to extinguish these flames, but you couldn’t. In your heart, the feeling was growing more and more, and you knew very well that soon you couldn’t keep on denying it.  
But the dream of Paris was about to end. And what would happen once you woke up and found that reality was still there? Once the bubble would have exploded, where could you hide?  
“Everything’s alright?” you asked Ben, your voice shaking a little as you cleared your mind of all thoughts and focused on the present again.  
“Yeah, just… an alert for my flight. It should be around fifteen minutes late.”  
“Not that surprising for flights…”  
“No, you’re right.”  
You exchanged a smile, but both yours and Ben’s gestured were tainted with sadness.  
“It feels strange… to think that the next time we see each other, it’ll be in London,” Ben thought out loud.  
“It does feel strange. But I… it’s not going to change anything, is it? I mean… Paris has its magic but… you have your fair share of it too.”  
You noticed that his eyes were shining a little, and he seemed more touched than you thought he would. Perhaps it was also because he was sad to leave.  
“Were you trying to flirt? Cause that was a terrible attempt,” he joked, and you both let out a chuckle while your eyes found themselves wet with tears as well.  
“You’re having a bad influence on me,” you replied.  
“Undoubtedly.”  
He reached for your hand, his dark eyes falling to watch your fingers intertwining with his, and you imitated him.  
“Paris is just a place. We’re more than that.”  
“How so?”  
He looked up to catch your eyes with his deep brown ones again.  
“We’re flesh and blood. Paris… it’s just an atmosphere. It’s just a taste that lingers on the tongue. It’s just a puff of smoke with a sweet scent. But all tastes end up fading out. And the wind always blows away the smoke. Paris is just a moment for us. But you’re real. And I’m real. We’re not just a moment that passes in the blink of an eye or a sigh. We’re people, and if we want to give it a fair try, then nothing can stop us. And Paris will fall in the past, but we won’t. If you want to try… because I do.”  
You nodded, not trusting your voice as your throat tightened, and he gave you a warm smile.  
“I know it all sounds mad. We’ve known each other for just a few days. But… I know that what’s going on between us is special,” Ben went on, tightening his hold on your hand a little. “And I want to try it all… I don’t know where this will take us, but whatever our destination may be, I’m willing to take that path with you. What do you think?”  
“I’d like to try that too,” you nodded, tears in your eyes now more than ever, and you knew that if you blinked, the tears would fall.  
Before you could speak again, Ben’s hands had flown up to hold your face, and he was pressing a passionate kiss to your lips.  
And despite the amazing place where you were, and the perfect paintings that surrounded you, as long as he kept on kissing you, you couldn’t remember where you were or acknowledge the existence of anything around you. It was just Ben and you, and even Monet couldn’t compare to Ben’s lips.  
—————————————————————————-  
Almost two weeks passed before you could see each other again. You stayed in Paris for two more days, and once you were back in London, you found both your schedules too crowded.   
Next to him, Jack was playfully mocking his brother.  
“She has you wrapped around her finger already!” he teased.  
Ben rolled his eyes.  
“Will you just shut up?”  
“Honestly, I didn’t know you were so romantic…”  
“I’m not.”  
“Bullshit. Your first date was on the Eiffel Tower, you kissed for the first time on a boat on the Seine… if it’s not romantic, I don’t know what could possibly be.”  
Ben remained silent for a moment, and Jack recognized the frown of worry that crossed his brow.  
“What is it now?” he asked his sibling with curiosity.  
“What if it changes everything?”  
“I don’t follow…”  
But Ben shook his head, and mentally slapped himself. He couldn’t think like that, asking himself a thousand ‘what if’. You wanted to see him again, and he missed you, god, he missed you so much sometimes it was hard for him to breathe.  
“I should go, I can’t be late,” Ben stood up in a hurry.  
He put on his cream jacket, checked hid black tie and readjusted his shirt before putting on his warm coat and scarf.  
“How do I look?” He asked his brother, who merely reached across the living room table to pick up a chestnut in a bowl filled with wintery fruits.  
Through his parents’ house, he heard his mother and father ruffling in his kitchen as they prepared dinner.  
“You look terrible,” Jack answered with a smirk.  
“Coming for you, it’s a compliment.”  
Ben went to the kitchen to say goodbye to his parents, but as expected, found himself trapped…  
“You look good. What’s her name again?” His mother asked with curiosity.  
“Y/N.”  
“After just two weeks, you look pretty close to her already.”  
“Mum… don’t start.”  
“I’m just saying that you should be careful and ask yourself how you want this relationship to evolve and… take some time to think.”  
“Mum, I know what I’m doing. I’ve got to go or I’ll be late.”  
He dropped a kiss on his mother’s cheek, and stormed out of the room before she could speak again.  
It was rare for him to lie to his mother, and yet, this time, he had lied.  
He had no clue of what he was doing. But he didn’t really care. He was about to see you again, and for now, it was all that mattered.  
—————————————————————-  
The Thames had replaced the Seine, but you could barely spot the difference. The scenery was different but the way you felt with Ben was exactly the same.  
Safe, peaceful, overexcited, happy…  
A strange mix of the best feelings a human could feel, and the more you spent time with him, the stronger these feelings became.  
And by your side, Ben felt just the same.  
You were walking under the snow, oblivious of the cold. The weather had chased away most of the crowd that usually walked on the sides of the Thame, and you were happy about it. In the distance, the lights of the Parliament ignited the dark waters of the river. Waterloo Bridge seemed like a ghostly figure hovering above the Thames, visible only through the little sparks imprisoned in the lampposts. Ben’s laugh shattered the silence in happy broken pieces that flew away with the wind.  
You rested your head against his shoulder as you walked together hand in hand. Behind you, your footsteps remained carved in the white snow, tracing your path.  
And life felt perfect…  
You laughed at Ben’s silly remark and finally realized that the two of you were completely alone in the street darkened by the inky night and the hidden stars.  
Ben seemed to realize the emptiness of the bank as well, and he suddenly stopped walking.  
He wrapped both his arms around you, pulling you against him, and he pressed a soft kiss on your temple, making you giggle.  
“Can I confess something?” you asked in a voice barely louder than a whisper.  
Ben nodded, humming instead of speaking as he buried his face in the crook of your neck, and closed his eyes.  
“I was a bit afraid of what would happen once we would be back in London. I mean… now that we have both found our routine and our normal life again… I was afraid the magic would just…disappear. And we wouldn’t feel the same anymore.”  
Ben tightened his hold on you and dropped a couple of kisses down your neck that took your breath away. And for a moment, you thought he was either ignoring your remark or had not paid attention at all to what you were saying. But after a moment, he stopped kissing you – most to your disappointment – and looked at you again.  
“Have I turned into a toad?” he asked with humour, making you laugh.  
“No, you haven’t.”  
He ran a hand through your hair, tenderly smiling at the sight of the tiny snowflakes stuck in the strands.  
“If I were to be honest, I just… like you even more in London than in Paris,” he admitted.  
You grinned up at him.  
“I feel the same,” you shyly answered.  
“I… I wish that I could take things slow with you and just… take it all slowly and use my brain but I just… miserably fail every time I try. I don’t mean to scare you by saying that…”  
But you reassuringly shook your head.  
“I feel… just as lost and out of control as you. It’s something special that is happening between us, isn’t it? I keep on trying to slow down but it’s like… my heart and my head are arguing and can’t seem to agree.”  
You exchanged a shy and yet tender smile, and you both couldn’t refrain your urge to kiss each other all of a sudden. You stayed like this, standing in the street, under the falling snow, kissing, for a rather long time. After a while, Ben peppered kisses on your cheeks and neck, and you were certain that you would faint. You didn’t part before another passionate kiss…   
An idea seemed to pop up in his mind, and like he had done in Versailles, he took his phone and handed you an earphone.  
“Would you grant me this dance?” he asked with a smirk.  
You laughed, looking around you, but no one was around.  
“Relax. I wouldn’t have made this proposition if anyone was there,” Ben laughed. “I’m not good enough at dancing for that.”  
“You did just fine that night…”  
The two of you exchange an intense gaze, a pair of idiotic smiles on your faces as the memory of your first kiss flashed before your eyes again.  
“What music are we listening to then?”  
Ben shrugged, and merely chose to listen to the radio.  
“Whatever pops up!” he replied with a merry tone.  
“What if we get some heavy rock song?”  
“Then we'll… improvise.”  
“Improvise?”  
“I’m ready to get utterly ridiculous for you.”  
“I couldn’t possibly let you be the only ridiculous person around. You did get ridiculous with me with this sweater.”  
You both laughed, and Ben finally turned the volume on. And after just a few seconds, Ed Sheeran’s voice seemed to fill the air around you.  
Ben’s hand slipped across your back and pulled you closer to him, while his other hand captured your fingers.  
“We shouldn’t get too ridiculous on that one,” you breathed, your heart pounding in your chest because of how close you and Ben were.  
He let out a chuckle, and you leaned up to kiss his jaw.  
He started to softly make you sway, the slow tune guiding your steps.  
The whole world faded away. You were vaguely aware of the snowflakes falling on your cheeks but that was all. All you could focus on was Ben’s warm breath brushing your ear, the soft song in your ear, his fingers wrapped around yours, his hand on the small of your back… The whole world was just the two of you.  
Ben started to softly hum along, and you soon joined him.  
“Do you need me to translate again, or…?” he teased, making you laugh.  
“I think I understand English pretty well,” you replied, and you both chuckled.  
Humming, you kept on dancing under the snow. His brown eyes, fully black under the dim light of the lampposts, captured yours and you fell in their trap.  
He started to sing along the lyrics in a low, deep, warm voice that shook you to your bones. And the more he sang along, the more an earnest glint started to alit in his eyes. And the more he sang, the more you felt like he was meaning the words he spoke. His voice became even lower, and he slowly stopped singing the lyrics, until he was speaking the first lines of the chorus out loud instead.  
And you were certain that, if he used the words of a song, he was asking the question to you.  
How would you feel if I told you I loved you?  
He felt silent and you both went still. Time seemed to have stopped, even if the song kept on playing and the snow kept on falling.  
Ben tried to speak. He tried to explain. He tried to deny it all. He tried to laugh it away. But the truth was, he did mean it.  
His mother’s words came back to ring in his ears, but for once, he couldn’t follow his mother’s advice. He had no control over how he felt. All he could do was acknowledge this crazy feeling that had overtaken his entire being. He had never felt that way before. Such an overwhelmingly powerful and uncontrollable feeling…  
He took a deep shaky breath, trying to speak, but his throat had tightened. He didn’t mean to scare you away.  
He tried to speak, but couldn’t gather enough strength to do it. He was lost in your eyes and didn’t seem able to do anything but stare at you.  
Then, the same lyrics came back again, and he leaned on these words to speak once more. He meant it again. But you could see that he was too shaken to use words, and was using the lyrics to overcome his emotions.  
He spoke in sync with the music, but his voice was not singing again.  
And instead of denying it all, of finding an excuse, of backing away, he was begging you.  
Tell me that you love me too.  
Your sight went blurry as tears formed in your eyes, and a bright grin formed on your lips as you confessed in a trembling voice the secret your heart was trying to hide.  
“I love you.”  
You both grinned, and before you could speak again, Ben was pressing his lips against yours. He resumed his swaying movement as the song went on, resting his brow against yours.  
And as you danced together, oblivious of the rest of the world, you realized that Paris had nothing to do with this adventure Ben and you were starting together. The French city wasn’t magical at all, you both held the magic in your own hands…  
—————————————————————  
Epilogue : 2 years later  
Notre-Dame was standing proudly behind you, its sculpted towers thrown towards the sky as if it tried to pierce the heavens. The sun had already disappeared beyond the old buildings that surrounded you and the streets were alit with Christmas lights and the yellowish lampposts.  
Ben’s arm was wrapped around your shoulders and your fingers intertwined together. You had walked on this bank of the Seine before, and it felt strange to be back. Like walking again on your own footsteps. But it was a great way to celebrate your two years anniversary.  
Ben was guiding you down the bank, until you reached a little houseboat that you recognized in the blink of an eye.  
“Oh, Ben…”  
He gave you a bright smirk.  
“We couldn’t come back to Paris without seeing the place where we kissed for the first time,” he gave you a wink and a proud smile.  
“You’re such a romantic dork, you know that?”  
“That’s why you love me so much.”  
“It is,” you admitted, dropping a peck on his cheek.  
He excitedly guided you inside to have dinner, and you couldn’t fail to notice that he felt a little giddy, almost nervous. But when you asked him about it, he merely ignored your question and moved the conversation towards another topic.  
As you reached the dessert, Ben proposed to take a look outside, and you enthusiastically accepted.  
It was strange to stand on this same spot where you had exchanged your first kiss. On that boat, with the Seine flowing around you, the Eiffel Tower glimmering in the distance and Notre-Dame’s silhouette coming out of the shadows… it felt so magical, just like the first time.  
Behind you, Ben was fidgeting with something in his pocket. A small velvet box he had carried all the way from London to Paris for this moment. He had been planning it all for weeks.  
Inside the restaurant, he had asked for the song Parlez-moi d'amour to be played, and it hadn’t been difficult to convince the manager. As soon as Ben had given him the reason, he had accepted.  
You grinned at the sound of the song playing and you turned to Ben again.  
“You arranged that too, didn’t you? You really are the best, you know that?” you asked him with tears in your eyes.  
He smiled, but didn’t answer. Instead, he knelt before you, and you frowned hard.  
“Ben? What are you doing?”  
But then he took out this box he had been hiding for months now. And when he opened it, and the light of the Christmas decorations set all around the boat got caught in the glimmering diamond, you could only gasp and cover your mouth with your trembling hands.  
He cleared his throat with tears shining in his eyes and when he spoke, his voice was a little hoarse.  
“Y/N… We’ve been through two crazy years together. And I still can’t believe that you managed to make me fall in love with you in one week, but I’m so happy you did. Because I just keep on falling more in love with you every day that passes, and I want to keep on loving you more and more for the rest of my life.”  
You were sobbing at this point, and it was harder and harder for Ben to speak.  
“You make me so happy and I just want to have a chance to make you just as happy as I am. I love you so much. And as long as I can love you, I’ll be the luckiest man in the world. So… Y/N, would you let me love you for the rest of our lives?”  
You frantically nodded.  
“Yes! Yes! Of course, yes!”  
Ben caught you in his arms before you would crumble under so many emotions, and by then, you were both grinning and crying at the same time.  
“I love you so much, Ben,” you breathed in his ear, and he tightened his hold on you.  
“I love you too. I’m so happy you said yes…”  
“Of course, I said yes, you silly!”  
“I knew you couldn’t resist the scenery.”  
You laughed at him, shaking your head.  
“Oh, Ben… you know perfectly that every place on Earth is magical as long as I’m with you.”


End file.
